On 2003-10-22, pgluth1 wrote:
Thank you for your quick response to my query - it answered my questions.

However, let me thank you again for showing me the way to search google for
more answers - "teach a man to fish..."

This is so ironic. I just came to this thread because I was browsing
Google Groups for Yerba Mate.

Your original post is dated October 21, and that happens to have been
the day my much-awaited first shipment made it here (Florida) from
Oregon via UPS.

It's my third evening drinking mate, and my first with my gourd (which
has to be seasoned for a couple of days, according to the instructions
which accompanied it).

I wasn't so sure the first night, but by now I can say I really like it.
It's probably still a little early to be singing its praises, but it
seems to make me feel good, so up and yet "clear". No jitters at all.

I'm drinking it using the bombilla (filter straw). I just used a coffee
cup the first two nights (in lieu of the gourd). I got the bamboo
straw, but I went ahead and ordered a "traditional spoon-shaped" metal
bombilla earlier this evening--along with more mate. I guess you could
say I like it :O)

I can't particularly plug the company I got it from; I'm so new with it.
It could be I can get it cheaper at a health-food store around town.
Having said that, I *did* do a little site-shopping before I ordered,
and I wound up buying from www.yerbamate.com, just because I was kind of
impressed with their information and their apparent ethics.

I bought the "La Tierra Gift Pack", which is the least expensive, the
bamboo bombilla, a half-pound of loose yerba mate, and a plain (pretty
small) gourd. Twelve bucks US, and seven more for shipping. You can
probably do better, but I can say they shipped it out right away and
didn't rip me off (it took nine days to get here, though... but it seems
to have been worth the wait).

Wherever you get it, do try it. Apparently it's not for everyone (one
person reported getting eye tics after a week's use), but I can't wait
to share it with my friends (I've already offered to a couple, but they
passed g). Which reminds me--one of them wants to try it, but she's
having surgery tomorrow, and so needs to be cautious. And I'm glad she
did wait, because she's *very* sensitive to ginseng--and I don't know
but that she might be to mate, too. So my advice is, just try a little
at first, to make sure you're not allergic or anything (good advice for
trying anything new, and probably something I didn't need to tell you).

Er--I don't usually write this much. Can't be the mate, can it? ;O)
--
fD