- Joel Muñoz
- Apr 8
- 2 min read
Mate: one of the best drinks
Yerba mate has been recognized as one of the 50 best drinks in the world by CNN Travel, highlighting its unique flavor and energy benefits. This recognition places mate above iconic beverages like the piña colada and whiskey, highlighting its tradition in South American countries and its growing global popularity as a healthy and culturally significant beverage.
Read the full article.
Unique for its countless benefits and unique preparation, yerba mate has been recognized as one of the 50 most delicious beverages in the world by the popular CNN Travel magazine, which, after studying beverages from all over the world, published its list of the "best and most refreshing."
A “surprising and pleasant” drink
Awarding it 35th place, the list describes mate as “one of the world's most surprising and pleasurable discoveries.” Although the author doesn't specify the reasons, we can agree that mate is surprising for its incredible health benefits; and that its energizing and comforting effect can certainly be very pleasurable.
Although mate has recently become known worldwide and is enjoying a well-deserved and growing popularity for its properties, for the natives of South America, it is more of an ancestral tradition that remains a part of everyday life. As CNN puts it: “The caffeinated beverage is so popular in Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, and southern Brazil that drinking it there instantly makes you a local.”
CNN Travel also highlights the unique process of preparing mate: "the leaves are soaked in hot water" and "served in a hollowed-out gourd with a metal bombilla." Drinking mate involves an entire preparation process and a social ceremony that also makes the beverage a cultural symbol.
Richer than a Piña Colada?
In its top 50 list of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, CNN Travel has decided to rank mate above one of the world's most famous beers (47th), the world's best-selling energy drink (49th), the piña colada (46th), and whiskey (39th). The curious list is headed by water.
