Ilex paraguariensis

This Brazilian national caffeinated drink actually originates from Paraguay, southern Brazil and Argentina, and has the same importance there as tea and coffee do in the rest of the world.

It is obtained from the green leaves of a shrub similar to holly, which is said to have multiple beneficial properties. This is why in South America mate tea is also called "Drink for the Gods".

Drinking mate tea from a bombilla was a ritual, and sometimes it had the function of a pipe of peace. Drinking it around a campfire, it soon became the national drink in almost every Latin American country. Today, it is most often drunk in the company of family and friends, where one cuia, a type of gourd from which mate tea is drunk, is shared around.

The caffeine in mate tea is bound to tannic substances and is slowly released in the body. This is why its stimulating effect lasts longer than that of coffee. A short infusion will have a stronger stimulating effect than one where the mate tea is steeped longer.