A former technical lead at Sikorsky Aircraft in Rochester, NY, Carl Byington is now the President of PHM Design, LLC in Ellijay, GA. Carl focuses on mentoring, advising, and consulting on the best strategies for C level executives to implement predictive analytics on critical equipment in aerospace, power production, and energy exploration fields. An avid traveler who has run marathons all seven continents and visited over 60 countries, Carl Byington enjoys learning about people and cultures worldwide through their food and drink customs.
In South American countries, such as Argentina, one of the defining natural brews is yerba mate. Made of the leaves and twigs of the Ilex paraguariensis plant, the drink has a bitter taste similar to tea when steeped in hot water and a caffeinating effect like coffee. Its use dates back to Paraguay’s indigenous Guaraní people when it was primarily seen as a wellness tonic. Today, regular consumption of yerba mate is believed to have several health benefits, including cholesterol reduction and preventing Parkinson’s disease.
In Argentina, a ritual way of drinking yerba mate has evolved. With participants grouped in a circle, the “cebador” fills a dried pumpkin gourd (the mate cup) two-thirds full with a loose blend of dry leaves. A bit of warm water is first added to initiate flavor release, followed by the placement of a specialized metal bombilla. This bulb-ended straw filters out the leaves from the brew.
Finally, hot water tops off the gourd, with sugar added as well to taste. The gourd is then passed around, with water poured from a Thermos as the drink is consumed via the bombilla. The quantity of yerba mate in the gourd, and its bitter strength, means that it does not become diluted with added water for a long time, as normal tea would.
Carl Byington had the opportunity to enjoy yerba mate in this fashion with some local guides when he visited Argentina in 2018 to climb Aconcagua in the Andes Mountains. The caffeine was a welcome addition to the day and the drink seemed to also have some benefits to reduce altitude sickness effects.
In South American countries, such as Argentina, one of the defining natural brews is yerba mate. Made of the leaves and twigs of the Ilex paraguariensis plant, the drink has a bitter taste similar to tea when steeped in hot water and a caffeinating effect like coffee. Its use dates back to Paraguay’s indigenous Guaraní people when it was primarily seen as a wellness tonic. Today, regular consumption of yerba mate is believed to have several health benefits, including cholesterol reduction and preventing Parkinson’s disease.
In Argentina, a ritual way of drinking yerba mate has evolved. With participants grouped in a circle, the “cebador” fills a dried pumpkin gourd (the mate cup) two-thirds full with a loose blend of dry leaves. A bit of warm water is first added to initiate flavor release, followed by the placement of a specialized metal bombilla. This bulb-ended straw filters out the leaves from the brew.
Finally, hot water tops off the gourd, with sugar added as well to taste. The gourd is then passed around, with water poured from a Thermos as the drink is consumed via the bombilla. The quantity of yerba mate in the gourd, and its bitter strength, means that it does not become diluted with added water for a long time, as normal tea would.
Carl Byington had the opportunity to enjoy yerba mate in this fashion with some local guides when he visited Argentina in 2018 to climb Aconcagua in the Andes Mountains. The caffeine was a welcome addition to the day and the drink seemed to also have some benefits to reduce altitude sickness effects.
