Chimarrão (maté, to you Argentophiles, psychotically strong tea, to all you others) is gonna twist you up if you drink too much of it. The first thing you can count on is blowing a bladder socket. I dunno if it’s caffeine in this stuff or some other type of diuretic. But lemme tell ya, that chick that took a swig of it on (the travel show) Globe Trekker…let’s just say I know she was faking all that happy, yum-yum’ing.
My main message is, “Be careful.” Drinking yerba maté/chimarrão is the equivalent of pumping four cans of Red Bull in one, concerted swig through a straw. I hope the picture link below can explain some of the other-worldly feeling you’re bound to suffer:
oh, and the straw stuck in the gourd is called a “cuia.” It’s pronounce “queeyah” by the Gauchos of Brazil.
