Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1915-07-23

in the habit Of urging the invitation tv
little gun-play, as Is said to have
been the custom among our cowboys
and heroes of the west some years ago
when a tenderfoot refused to have a
drink. Sill. the stranger had better
take a sip or two If he wishes to be-
come persona gratas" even If the bonn
olila has been moistened by other lips
bitter and herby in taste. He viii get
used to it.
This peculiar tea is not the tea of
CHINA or Japan that the average North
American or European knows. It is a
brand that is distinctively South
American, and is made from the leaves
or a shrub whose botanical name is
LEX Paraguayensis. In a pamphlet on
Paraguay recently published by the
Pan-1American Union, Washington, D.
T., may be found a detailed description
or this wonderful weed OF shrub,
among other statements being the fol-
lowing:
Yerba mate is altogether indigenous
to well defined area Of South Amer
lea The aboriginal Indians of the
basin of the Rio de la Plata, the
Guarani, knew and used the plant long
before the invasion of their country by
the Spaniards- When these Indians
were subdued, especially by the Jesuit
missionaries, they were found to be
using drink made OF a plant that
I
tropical region in which they lived.
Caa was the name given to this plant
| by the Guarani Caa means simply
weed. and the Europeans, translating
literally. called it yerba, equivalent to
/ the English herb Mate is Spanish
| for gourd. Hence yerba mate-the
gourd weed Cor herb), or. more extend
| ed, the herb from which tea is made
| in gourd, for it was. and is often
now. prepared as follows: A dried
IrN1l - -
| ture where the stem was connected;
into this gourd q small quantity fthe
crushed leaves are placed, boiling wa
| ter poured on them, little sugar or
lemon juice added, and the tea is ready
to be sucked through the aperture by
means of the hollow tube, called bonn
billa. usually made of metal and hav-
ing a perforated, spoon-shaped end
which serves as a strainer.
The Hex Paraguayensis is really a
South American holly, growing spon-
taneously in the southern portions of
Brazil, in the northeastern region of
Argentina, and in all the eastern and
central portions OF Paraguay. 1t is
an evergreen tree or shrub which
grows from II to 20 feet in height, is
very bushy and beautiful and resem-
bleS an orange tree 1t has no sSpines,
the leaves are bright green the small
Il flowers are of yellowish color and
the tiny berries are purplish black The
| most suitable leaves for the tea are
small and dark green, and are picked
from the smaller and younger plants.
| In gathering, the natives go out and
cut the branches from the trees found
| in the forests and pile them up in the
form af haystacl1. After all available
material has been gathered the piles
are then carried to their villages where
they undergo a process of torrefaction,
or smoking, for about three days. and
| the leaves are then broken up into
| powder and are ready for the market
| Paraguayan tea resembles our tea
| and coffee in that the chemical analysis
of the leaves shows that they contain,
in addition to the essential oils, chic
rophyl, resins, and other vegetable in
gradients, both tanin and caffein. The
tanin content is decidedly less than in
green or black tea, or in coffee. OF
ca.ffein or Tnatein, as it IS sometimes
| termed, the product contains less than
does tea, but about the same proportion
i that is to be found in coffee. The de-
| coction seems to Soothe the nervous
system without the Injurious effects of
other stimulants, and it has been esti-
mated that there are no less than TO-
100000 mate drinkers in South Amer
lea alone. In recent years considerable
quantities are being exported to Great
Britain, Germany and other European
countries, and experiments are being
made with the view of using it in the
army supplies of those countries. Once
introduced into this country, and given
a fair trial, it will doubtless become a
popular beverage and soon be on tap
incur soda fountains.