557574 Mon Sep 15 12:24:02 -0700 2008 6 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 4036674 I'm a big tea fan and found a Tea Wand at OneGoodie today. Any thoughts? Think it is worth it? Thanks. Mon Sep 15 12:24:02 -0700 2008 200632 hsh251 1 4049665 do you like sipping hot tea through a straw? Sat Sep 20 11:39:10 -0700 2008 4036674 105717 alkapal 2 4049710 HAH, my sentiments exactly. I can't imagine myself slowly trying to sip piping hot tea through a straw. it sounds like a good method of torture Sat Sep 20 11:59:48 -0700 2008 4049665 24546 bitsubeats 3 4049891 several years ago, one of my college housemates brought one for me from argentina, made of silver-plated copper (?), but i used it only a couple of times. tea to me is comforting and "good" when i can sip it (or slurp it) from a bone china cup or mug! Sat Sep 20 15:13:35 -0700 2008 4049710 105717 alkapal 4 4049926 That was undoubtedly a “bombilla,” a metal straw with a strainer tip that’s used by the Gauchos (and others) to drink yerba mate. Yerba mate (or just “mate,” as it’s commonly referred to in South America) is a popular caffeine-containing herb that comes in both green and “roasted” form. It’s customarily brewed in a gourd (“guaje”) and sipped through the strainer-straw by many enthusiastic aficionados in Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and neighboring countries. I haven’t heard of Norteamericanos using bombillas to sip “regular” (or herbal) tea here in the US, but I don’t see why you couldn’t if you wanted to. You can dispense with the strainers and infusers in that case. If you have a Mexican Mercado (market) nearby you might be able to find these accoutrements there. Sat Sep 20 16:02:48 -0700 2008 4049891 34704 Luwak 5 4052362 luwak, thanks for that information. with it, i found the great wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mate_(beverage) i love how chow threads can lead one to learn all sorts of new things -- not only about food, but culture and history, too. Mon Sep 22 06:55:07 -0700 2008 4049926 105717 alkapal 1 4053090 If you think you'd enjoy sipping hot tea through a straw, it's probably worth it. I'm very skeptical about their claim that you get more nutrients by sucking tea through a straw - it just doesn't make sense. I'd rather use a tea strainer and just sip out of a mug. Mon Sep 22 14:38:49 -0700 2008 4036674 42944 leanneabe