Tea 



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plant is a shrub belonging to the natural order, Aquifoliaceae (Holly family), and bears oval leaves 

 about four or five inches long, with serrated edges. It is found commonly in Brazil and 

 Paraguay, where there are also regular plantations ; but the leaves are extensively used through- 

 out South America, and several million pounds of the prepared mate are annually exported 

 from the latter country to various parts of the continent ; small quantities are also sent to 

 Europe. 



In the preparation of mate the leaves are not plucked from the plant as in the case of 

 ordinary tea ; but large leafy branches are cut from the shrub and placed on hurdles over a 

 wood fire until sufficiently roasted. The dried branches are then placed on a hard floor, 

 .and the withered leaves beaten with sticks, after which they are reduced to a coarse powder 



TRANSPORT OF TEA IN CEYLON 



in rude mills. The product is then ready for packing in skins and leather bags. There are said 

 to be three principal grades of mate in the South American market, viz., Caa-Cuys, which is 

 Ihe half-expanded leaf-buds ; Caa-Miri, the unroasted leaf from which the principal veins have 

 been removed ; and Caa-Guaza, or Yerba de Palos of the Spaniards, which is prepared from 

 the roasted leaves together with the leaf stalks and smaller twigs. The infusion is prepared 

 for drinking by putting a small quantity of the tea in a cup with a little sugar ; a drinking-tube 

 •or bombilla, with a wire network or perforations at the bottom, is then placed in the cup and 

 boiling water poured in the mate. When sufficiently cool, the infusion is sucked up through 

 the tube. Mate has an agreeable, slightly aromatic odour, and a somewhat bitter taste. It 

 is very refreshing, and is a valuable restorative, especially after great physical exertion, while 

 it also possesses mild diuretic and aperient properties. 



Another species of Ilex (I. cassine) was the source of the famous " black drink " of the 

 North American Indians, which is known under the name of " Youpon." The home of 

 .the plant is along the eastern and southern shores of the United States, and it is not found 



