Mate de Coca

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First of all, get over it.  Mate de Coca is tea made from the Coca leaf and although difficult to obtain is legal -- even in the USA.

Most eating establishments in the Andes will have a bowl of coca leaves placed next to other teas and coffee. 

The effect of Mate de Coca is something like that of Guaraná, a soft stimulant without the harshness of caffeine.

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The illustration above was done in 1897 by Franz Eugen Köhler.  The photograph above is of a coca plantation in Peru.

There are several traditional uses for Coca; chewing (with ashes of the quinoa plant), tea, and the making of narcotics for North Americans.  Here we address only the tea use.  It has been reported that Coca-Cola imported 204 tons of coca leaf into the USA in 1996 - using it as a flavoring in its soft drink.  Annual import figures are difficult to obtain.

Mate de Coca is made just like any other tea.  It can be made with a brew of whole leaves steeped in hot water or you can buy it in a crush form, often in tea bags.


© Robert Barnes 2023-2024