DOSE:		oral	Yerba Mate	(tea)
		oral	Chocolate	(edible / food)

BODY WEIGHT:

130 lb

A longtime heavy consumer of various teas and tisanes, I began consuming yerba mate in mid-2010 after discovering the presence of yerba mate products at my local grocery store. I am myself partial to a blend which contains an unspecified amount of mate along with peppermint, spearmint, and a few other herbs often used in tisane blends. These bottles contain 140 mg. of caffeine, and I usually consume them with mint-infused dark chocolate for an additional xanthine effect. Upon gradual consumption, I experience a very mild sense of stimulation completely devoid of the 'edge' usually reported with energy drinks or sugarier beverages. With mate in general, I find that my focus improves markedly, more so than with any other caffeine product (coffee, tea, etc.) and I am able to sit down and accomplish desired tasks without external distraction. Intellectually, this is of great benefit, and creativity is stimulated quite a bit as a result. Writing science-fiction poetry in the late-late hours of the night/morning, yerba mate drunk either in bottled form or loose leaf in a gourd with a bombilla provides an excellent boost. Due to the increase in focus, I am able with mate to hyper-focus upon minute details, leading to the formulation and recognition of unexpected connections with lucid clarity. Perhaps these effects experienced specifically with mate are due to the presence of other psychoactive xanthines, and perhaps not. A scientific study on this would be useful...

Taste notes:

In consuming yerba mate from a gourd in loose-leaf form, the subject of taste often arises as many (my family included) consider it to be unpalatable. With a gourd of approx. 1 cup capacity and around 4 tbsp. of mate leaves, here are the qualitative observations on taste for each infusion:

1: Bitter, grassy, nearly astringent depending upon temp. of water
2: Mellow, earthy, peak of taste (also peak of caffeine 'buzz')
3: Same as above, slightly weaker
4: Weak, hinting flavor
5: Nearly flavorless

Exp Year: 2010	ExpID: 89083
Gender: Male
Age at time of experience: 17
Published: Dec 13, 2017	Views: 1,781
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Yerba Mate (282) : Preparation / Recipes (30), Performance Enhancement (50), Retrospective / Summary (11), Alone (16)