MATE CANCHEADA ORGANIC

If you've ever visited Buenos Aires, you'd quickly understand why Mate has become Argentina's national drink. The highly sociable beverage seems to fit right in with the warm community feeling present in many of the city's famous barrios. Take San Telmo for example, one of the oldest and best preserved of Buenos Aires' older neighborhoods. During warm summer afternoons San Telmo's cobblestone streets teem with people of all ages strolling up and down the boulevards, meeting friends and catching up on the goings on of the great city. One of the more popular pastimes is sitting at the tables of the many cafes and bars that fill San Telmo's central square, the Plaza Dorrego. Here they sip Mate and take in the swirling sights and sounds of the musicians and tango performers who use the plaza as their stage. In Buenos Aires the warm feeling of community is ever-present. So, as mentioned, it is no surprise that a beverage shared by passing a single cup among a group of people should become so popular.

So what exactly is Mate? Mate is a caffeinated infusion prepared by brewing the dried leaves of Yerba Mate, (Latin: Ilex paraguariensis). The full-bodied beverage presents deep vegetal overtones with hints of green tea grassiness. Traditionally it is prepared in a specially treated calabash gourd that is passed around a group of people. The host, known as the cebador packs the leaf into the gourd and drinks the first infusion to check the quality, similar to the way one checks the first sip of wine when a new bottle is opened. The gourd is then refilled and passed around the circle until everyone has had his or her fill.

It is sometimes said that a warm serving of Mate has the power to complete a circle of friends. We're pleased to offer Organic Green Mate Cancheada in the hopes that it draws your circle of customers closer to you. Cancheada grade Mate is larger leafed than our other offerings and as such is perfect for repeated brewing - the larger leaf holds in the flavor. Encourage your customers to share a pot, or a gourd if they have one, with their friends and family today.