Yerba Mate: A South American Surfer's Favorite

The other day, we wrote about the wonders and benefits of green tea. But what if you want to venture out and try some alternatives - something that doesn't involve an energy drink with the sugar content of chocolate cake and the chemicals inside a small UCLA laboratory?

Feast your eyes on a drink that's been used for centuries in South America and that's a tried and true method for getting your energy up.  When we visit those countries we notice that both cowboys and surfers always seem to be sipping on this stuff, so it must be great.

Yerba mate is a species of holly that is popular in Peru, Argentina, Chile and those whereabouts. It tastes a little chalky at first, but if you sweeten it with a little bit of maple syrup or agave, it tastes like strong herbal tea.

You can drink yerba mate as a regular tea (which you can find with the Guayaki Organic brand of tea bags) or do it the fun way and buy yourself a gourd. Either way is fine, but the gourd version isn't free of controversial potential risks.  But as long as you're not drinking 14 glasses of this stuff a day you'll be fine.