Buzzed out of your gourd

Yerba maté

by Julia Hanna

noshing & sipping

Doubting Thomas's, August 17 Red menace, August 10 Dairy of a madman, August 3 Pearl drinks, July 27

Attention, caffeine fiends: forget Jolt, Mountain Dew, and other silly, souped-up drinks. Yerba maté, the tea favored by South American gauchos, is the way the truly macho wake up. Although it can be made using a coffeepot or tea infuser, the traditional method requires brewing the loose tea in a hollow gourd (maté) and sipping it through a metal filtering straw called a bombilla. Its somewhat bitter, smoky taste makes this an infusion to savor slowly -- in fact, the gourd is often passed around among a group, peace-pipe style. The buzz doesn't leave you jittery and doesn't fizzle quickly; this is one drink that will have you galloping the pampas for a long time. Yerba maté costs $2.99 for 200 grams or $4.99 for 1000 grams at International Market, 365 Somerville Avenue, Somerville; call (617) 776-1880. A maté gourd with a horse motif is $12.99, bombilla included.

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