Great Maté Stops #6
Author: Drink Deep 
On a recent weekend, my husband and I were headed north for a weekend of National Monument hopping. Driving north through Cheyenne, WY, my husband became worried after seeing the dreaded blue “no services in X miles” sign - would he find a coffee shop before leaving civilization?
We were both pleasantly surprised when we found Synergy Café , a homey coffee shop, tucked into the shops just off of Exit 13 (459 Vandehei Ave #100). Right there on the main menu board - a maté latte - fresh steeped from organic maté from rishi tea. Also on the beverage menu: a wide array of organic teas – including lemongrass maté and maté mint, bubble tea, smoothies, plus the traditional variety of coffee drinks. For patrons suffering from hunger pains, they offer an array of pastries, salads, soups, and wraps. My husband enjoyed one of their yummy cinnamon rolls – good even without the frosting – which he passed on so that he could eat it on the run. We still had miles of Wyoming to cover before nightfall!
For those with a little more time than we had, you can stop by the Synergy Café to enjoy the wide variety of local and worldwide entertainers that they host. Their mission is to cultivate cultural events in the Cheyenne community.
Category: Maté Encounters, Café and Barista
Great Maté Stops - #5
Author: Drink Deep
If you’re headed to the upper Midwest, you may be worried about finding a place to get your maté fix. Don’t worry, good folks in Ann Arbor, Michigan are making sure that you can enjoy the warmth of a hot, frothy maté latte (Sounds good now that I have proof that my thermometer isn’t stuck above 80 degrees).
Zingerman’s Delicatessen has been an Ann Arbor institution since 1992 and is celebrated nationally for its wonderful sandwiches – perhaps a Zingerman’s Reuben or a D-$’s Cuban Conundrum would hit the spot. A lovely selection of beverages issues from the adjoining coffee shop, Zingerman’s Next Door. Next Door is your source for Pixie Maté, as well as small estate grown coffee hand selected by Zingerman’s Coffee Company, and an array of teas. The milk used in your latte comes from a local dairy where the cows have actual names – milk from Bessie has to be better than milk from big company Cow #5309! For dessert you can enjoy premium chocolate, including Zingerman’s own Zzang! candy bar, or a wide selection of pastries from Zingerman’s Bakehouse.
With wide ranging expertise in everything yummy, Zingerman’s Delicatessen and other shops are stops not to be missed the next time you are in the Ann Arbor area.
Category: Maté Encounters, Café and Barista
New York Sophisticates get a Maté Buzz
Author: Drink Deep 
We always enjoy a chance to mix it up when it comes to our yerba maté experiences, so we are delighted to learn about several New York City restaurants that are adding maté goodness to their cocktail menus.
At Yerba Buena, located on the Lower East Side at 23 Avenue A, diners are offered an array of Latino cuisine such as Lechon (suckling pig) and Costilla (beef short ribs). Thanks to mixologist Artemio Vasquez, they can also enjoy a cocktail with a Chilean pisco base that is infused with yerba maté and served in a traditional maté gourd.
Moving on to Soho, diners can stop at Tailor, located at 525 Broome Street, where the menu is designed around a sweet and salty theme. The cocktail list includes the Maté Sour – yerba maté, Querberante Pisco, lime juice, honey, egg whites, and bitters.
Another choice in Soho is Savoy , at 70 Prince Street, where they focus on sourcing ingredients from local farmers. Their Gaucho Fizz is a mix of cachaça, yerba maté, lime and honey.
The New York Times, in a recent article featuring these restaurants, was nice enough to provide the following cocktail recipe:
Pisco Maté Adapted from Yerba Buena
2 ounces yerba maté-infused pisco
3/4 ounce lime syrup
3/4 ounce grapefruit syrup
3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice
To infuse the pisco, steep one tablespoon of yerba maté (available at specialty tea stores) in 1/2 cup of pisco for two hours, then strain through a fine sieve. (This will make enough for two drinks. To infuse a whole bottle, use 7 tablespoons. of yerba maté.) The syrups require overnight infusing: Add the zest of half a grapefruit to 1/2 cup of simple syrup, and the zest of two limes to another 1/2 cup of simple syrup, and refrigerate overnight; strain through a fine sieve, and keep refrigerated. To make the drink, shake all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
Yield: 1 serving
Enjoy!
Category: Maté Encounters
Not A Coffee Break, A Maté Break
Author: Durango WalkerThe water cooler, the espresso machine, the foosball table and a kitchen full of cookies are typical office accouterments. Now add a dirty, cheap French press filled three to four times a day with maté and you have a clearer picture of a Colorado software company. Yes, the only thing separating a software company from any other company is the French press and the maté; OK, not really, but my point is maté is making its way into the office space.
The first time, I walked through an office with a maté gourd and bombilla, my CEO pulled me aside to talk about the drug policy. It was then that I sat him down. In the kitchen I poured him fresh gourd and presto - a convert. Since then my office mate conversion to maté career has spanned at least five years and 15 converts! But will it take to get maté a staple in the office supply chain?
No one is quite sure when a “break” became associated with coffee, but the story of the invention of the espresso machine gives us a hint. It happened in 1901, when an Italian factory owner named Luigi Bezzera was looking for a way to speed up his employees’ coffee break time. Figuring that if he could brew the coffee faster, his employees would drink up and get back to work more quickly, he hit upon the idea of using steam pressure to force hot water through the ground coffee. His idea worked far beyond his wildest imaginings – at least in terms of the machine. Bezzera’s idea of forcing water through ground coffee under pressure launched a whole new way of making coffee. No one is quite sure if it actually shortened the coffee break time of his workers.It was at just about the same time that a Buffalo, New York company made coffee break history. In 1902, the Barcolo Manufacturing Company – the company that eventually became Barcalounger – officially made a coffee break part of the benefits enjoyed by its employees. According to old newspaper stories, the employees negotiated for a short break in the workday in the morning and afternoon, and one of the employees volunteered to heat up coffee during those times on a kerosene fueled hot plate. Of course, the designation of ‘first official coffee break’ is contested. Another Buffalo company shows a 1901 ledger entry for free coffee for its employees.
So the question is should we focus on the machine or the people? Let’s face it a French press isn’t the most attractive utility. An espresso machine make me interested, just because of all the things it does. Maybe we need a new device to entice people the way Bezzera did it. Or, should we strike! I’m kidding of course, but maybe we can take the Barcolo company’s history into account and JUST ASK THE OFFICE MANAGER TO ORDER US SOME…
Whatever the case, maté has some inroads to make. If you’ve found a way to do this, what’s your story? Did you create some fancy machine? Did you organize the employee base? Did you ask the office administrator? What did you to do make maté part of your office space?
Category: Maté Encounters, Café and Barista
Great Maté Stops - #4
Author: Drink Deep 
The next time you are visiting Northern California wine country, take the time to stop in Sebastopol and enjoy the true Argentinean maté experience. Guayaki has just opened a Maté Bar off of its manufacturing facility (6782 Sebastopol Road).
At most coffee shops, no matter how much we love them, the maté can get lost amongst the wide array of teas and coffee. But at this bar, maté is the main act. You can enjoy a wide array of barista blends such as maté chai and maté shakes or you can enjoy traditional gourd service. With the full Gourd service, especially fun to share with a group of friends, you’ll feel like you’re in Argentina when a cebador comes to your table with a ceramic gourd and bombilla and prepares the maté for you, along with instructions if you’d like to learn the art of traditional brewing yourself. If you plan to stay awhile, you can also enjoy an array of snacks or light meals; they’re organic, and gluten-free, wheat-free, and vegan options ensure maximum munching pleasure for all.
Unfortunately, I haven’t made it to the Guayaki Bar just yet, but Jim Worsham of the Yerban Legend has, so check out his blog for full details. What’d I do with that list of cheap weekend e-fares???
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