in honor of our virtual tea party, i thought i'd write about a common andean beaverage: coca tea (mate de coca). the coca leaf has been used for centuries to help with the high altitude, provide more energy for work, and cure upset stomachs. many people more used to hearing about refined powder cocaine or the even more stigmatized crack cocaine are concerned when first offered a cup of coca tea. is it addictive? will i feel high? the truth is that one would have to drink hundreds and hundreds cups of coca tea to feel the same effect as one does when using one of her more potent siblings. yes, coca tea can be addictive and one can feel its effects, but pretty much in the same ways as caffeinated teas.
i like hot coca tea made from a tea bag. the flavor is subtle and the color of the tea is a pretty light yellow. more concentrated forms of coca tea are a different story. before going to the colca canyon, it was suggested that we make some coca tea with tea leaves in a big bottle of water (the leaves were left to soak in the water over night). this is what i ended up with:
something that resembled swamp water in appearance and had an extremely grassy, planty kind of flavor. sometimes grassy can be good, in this case it was bad. very bad.
i will admit, however, that this concoction did help me with altitude sickness and also helped the sore throat i had at the time. nonetheless, i never plan on drinking coca tea this potent ever again, nor do i plan on chewing on coca leaves, the most traditional way the leaves are used.
i will be bringing some coca tea bags to the tea party so you can all try the lighter and more delicious version of this drink. but right now, i'm off to make myself a nice cup of chai. :)
This is a new tea to me.
I have just recently discovered the South African Rooibush tea, and love it.
Posted by: Britt-Arnhild | December 19, 2006 at 12:40 PM
hi risa,
so interesting. thanks for filling us in on coca tea. enjoy your chai! xo shari ps: we are visiting denver in january. did you happen upon any great new places i should visit?
Posted by: shari | December 19, 2006 at 12:47 PM
oh! coca tea??
maybe we should all post our favorite teas for this party?
Posted by: lisa s | December 19, 2006 at 04:54 PM
Fascinating information! I'd love a tea that helps with giving energy (need to try some), can't wait for the tea party :)
Posted by: cruststation | December 20, 2006 at 01:32 AM
Wow so interesting!!!
Reminds me a little of the old Yemenites here who like chewing on 'qat' leaves!
Posted by: julie | December 20, 2006 at 04:11 AM
Bring this tea along to the party...I would love to try it
beijos :)
Posted by: simple me | December 20, 2006 at 04:11 AM
b-a - i never tried that. is it good?
shari - i emailed you. :)
lisa - good idea!
cruststation - some places it's legal and others it isn't...it isn't in the states and canada, don't know about elsewhere.
julie - what are qat leaves? i know the word from scrabble (yes, i'm a scrabble geek) but don't really know what they are...
paula - i definitely will.
Posted by: risa | December 20, 2006 at 08:05 AM
I first heard about the rooibush tew through Alexander McCall Smith's detective stories....for my life I can't remember thetitle of the books right now, but they are gorgeous. A must-read!
The tea is a red one, quite good, said to be very healthy but I don't know for what :-)
Posted by: Britt-Arnhild | December 20, 2006 at 08:36 AM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khat
have a look here!
By the way, i had the most delicious and simple to make levivot yesterday - i will get the recipe from my friend and send it to you!!! xxxx
Posted by: julie | December 20, 2006 at 10:15 AM
hmmm...I never knew that about coca tea - that's really interesting. Mmmmmm....chai...yummy! One of my absolute favs, especially on a snowy day here!
Enjoy,
Tiff*
Posted by: tiffany | December 20, 2006 at 01:47 PM
b-a - i'll have to check out the books and the tea! i love the idea that you know it's health but not for what. that happens to me all the time. :)
julie - i'm looking forward to the recipe!
tiff - i love chai too. it's the perfect afternoon break.
Posted by: risa | December 21, 2006 at 08:58 AM
Loved reading your tour comments, Risa and this one made me laugh out loud. You're right, the coca "tea" for the Colca Canyon trip looks like swamp water and tastes as bad and you were right to think of it as "medicine" :) If you thought that it was bad, you're lucky that I didn't give you the "Peruvian Cure" for your sore throat. What, you ask, is the Peruvian Cure? Fresh lemon juice with some salt mixed into it, in warm water, and snorted down the nose using a dropper. Horrid but it works and MUCH more effectively than the "cures" bought in drugstores in "developed" countries!
Lovely to travel with you and may your best day in 2006 be your worst in 2007!
A la vida!
Sasha
Posted by: Sasha McInnes | December 24, 2006 at 05:47 PM