433511 Tue Aug 21 10:42:20 -0700 2007 7 18 Manhattan 0 2866177 I am looking to pick up a bag of yerba mate, but not the American, way overpriced guayaki crap. Does anyone know of an argentine bodega/store (preferably near the upper west side/harlem), where I could get a large bag relatively cheap? Tue Aug 21 10:42:20 -0700 2007 45101 rw2157 1 2867287 i bought a new teapot and some tea at kam man on canal today and saw it there cheap. i cant vouch for chinese yerba mate tho. Tue Aug 21 14:51:00 -0700 2007 2866177 11372 mrnyc 2 2868910 try empire coffee, 9th avenue between 41st & 42nd -- 212-268-1220 Wed Aug 22 06:29:41 -0700 2007 2867287 105009 holland_oats 1 2881613 It's so funny, I was just drinking some yerba mate, while I was reading your post. I know this is a Manhattan board, and I live in Manhattan, however I've got to tell you that the best places to find a great variety of mate brands for ridiculously cheap prices is in Queens, in the Jackson Heights area actually. It's where I buy my mate because last year, I was on the same yerba mate quest as you. Here are places to go: Baires 90-09 Roosevelt Avenue (at Elmhurst Avenue), not even a block from the 90th Street-Elmhurst Avenue stop on the 7 train. You can see it once you get off the train. 718-672-4046 Don Francisco 85-17 37th Avenue (between 85th St & 86th St.) Take the 7 train to the 82nd Street-Jackson Heights stop. it's 5 blocks from the train, easy to find, just mapquest it. 718-505-5892 El Hornero Bakery 96-08 Roosevelt Avenue (at Junction Blvd) You'll see it on the corner when you get off the 7 train to the Junction Blvd stop. 718-651-0400 Most, if not all of these places sell the mate gourds and bombillas too. Good luck! Sat Aug 25 18:29:41 -0700 2007 2866177 122141 hellskitchenette 2 2882112 Are these places uruguayan or argentine by any chance? It be nice to have some of my favorite treats all year round instead of relying on family and relatives who travel often to Argentina. Specifically, I would be looking for alfajore maybe some titas and rhodesias etc...Maybe some conaprole dulce de leche. Sun Aug 26 00:45:08 -0700 2007 2881613 39295 Sambossanova 3 2884917 All of the places I listed carry Argentina products. I can't remember all of the brand names off hand. Don Francisco, I believe, when I went had run out of the Argentine alfajores and sold me an Uruguayan brand. He had lots of different brands of dulce de leche. I would probably go there first. For great tapas for making empanadas go to Baires. All three of the locations listed sell many different brands of yerba mate. You can walk to all three of these places easily in an hour - not even that long. They're very close to each other. Just print out a map and they're surprisingly easy to find. Good luck! Mon Aug 27 07:06:34 -0700 2007 2882112 122141 hellskitchenette 4 3316894 Thank you so much to Hellskitchenette for posting this list. I did some adventurin' this weekend to quest for the elusive Mate. I went, with hellskitchenette's list in hand. I had previously not been to Jackson Heights, so this was an adventure on its own. It is like getting off the subway in Mexico City or somewhere in South America. I knew I had hit the jackpot. The street vendors sell interesting foods, but mostly meat based, so I didn't indulge. Many foods I had never seen before, such as something that looked like a type of corn with very large kernels. Anyways, back to the subject. I went to Don Francisco first, as it sounded the most recommended. Turns out it is closed up for some type of renovations. I would call first if you are heading out to see if it is reopened yet. I went by Baires, and looked in the window. It definitely had Mate, but didn't have a large selection, so I figured I'd try my luck at El Hornero. They had a VERY small selection, but had the vital brands. It was nice to not be overwhelmed with choices. It appeared that they just had the "recommended" options. 2 types of "Suave" which I was told to look for (the one I chose was Union brand), as well as Rosamonte Especial edition and of course Cruz de Malta. They had a variety in tea bags as well if you didn't want the loose stuff. My only wish is that they had more "paraphernalia". They had a cup full of metal Bombilla, and one or two gourds. I would have liked a larger selection of Bombilla, as I have seen varieties on the internet that are really beautiful and artisan created, and some made out of plastic and easier to clean by being separtable (sic). They had the simple metal variety with brass mouth piece. I certainly can NOT complain about the price. I was drinking the Guayaki stuff from Fairway at about $7.50 for 1/2lb (or .23kg). I walked out of Hornero with: 1KG Suave Union 1KG Rosamonte Especial (keep in mind this is the "fancy" one to serve to guests in Argentina on special occasions!) 1KG Cruz De Malta 1 Metal and brass Bombilla Total: $18. Finally, one time the weak US dollar hasn't upset me!! I now have Mate to keep me happy for at least a year or 2. The only problem is I want to bust them all open and try them, but I don't want them to get stale, so I have to work on 1 bag at a time :-( So, thanks again hellskitchenette, for both giving me the pointers as well as giving me a new destination to explore. Also, if you head out there, make sure to stop in at Sripraphai. It is also (fairly) walkable if you are adventuring, and supposed to be the best Thai in Nyc. Mon Jan 21 09:58:40 -0800 2008 2884917 108553 Olav23 5 3421473 Hi, Can you tell me if they have Playadito there? They didn't speak much english when I called. Also, they take only cash I presume? I'm kinda nervous about this adventure... Thu Feb 21 12:49:44 -0800 2008 3316894 168219 yogini