Argentinas delicious Mate tea

Recently I have become very intrigued with the Argentinian culture. My brother in law is from there and we are planning a huge family trip to go visit my nephews other culture. Argentina is not only known for tango dancing, steak eating or its delicious red wine. It is also known for its obsession with the specialty called mate. Argentina is one of the largest tea producers. Yerba mate is the most popular kind. It is not your typical tea bag. Mate is actually served whole where you can see the herb itself. The way to drink mate is by putting the herbs inside a special straw called a bombilla with a filter so the herb does not go up the bombilla. Hot water is then poured in, 92% of households consume mate. It is a pass time amongst Argentinian culture. It is done between friends and family multiple times a day. Stirring and wiping the tip of the bombilla is considered to be rude. According to “Argentina-Artistica” mate has antioxidants and cholesterol lowering properties as well as high caffeine content. Im not usually a tea drinker but learning so much about this tea has actually tempted me to try it out, at least now I’ll know a little background of this tea before trying it.