Materva: Un Buchito de Cuba (A Little Sip of Cuba)- S. Wong

Here is a little history on my favorite carbonated beverage. What needs fixing? :)

Forget Coca-Cola and Canada Dry, Materva is the drink to be had! It is a carbonated herbal tea that hits the tongue like sparkling wine on New Year’s Eve.

Materva is made from yerba mate – a species of holly native to sub-tropical South America. This soft drink is prepared with yerba mate extract instead of the tea itself which is made by steeping the dried tea leaves in hot water. This is because the extract has a concentrated flavor. Unlike the fairly bitter tea-like mate on which it is based, Materva is sweet with an almost bubblegum flavor because of ingredients like carbonated water, sugars, and other flavorings that become this beverage.

Materva and Diet Materva are extremely popular amongst Hispanics in the United States, especially Cubans. Initially, Materva was created by the Materva Soft Drink Company and marketed by La Paz, S. A. (a bottling company) located in Matanzas, Cuba in 1920. For forty years, it was manufactured and sold throughout Cuba until Fidel Castro’s revolution brought about the nationalization of all privately owned companies. In 1965, the competitors known as Cawy Bottling Company of Miami came about and bought the rights to the concoction.

Materva was a symbolic brand in Cuba. The company backed numerous sporting events and even showcased one of the very first provisions to use Disney characters to endorse their goods. The Miami New Times granted Materva the “Best Local Soft Drink” award in 2002. With time, Materva has finally transitioned into being distributed outside of South Florida. It can now be found in larger sectors of the United States, Central America, and even Spain.

Yerba mate (and its byproduct, Materva) has been known to provide benefits other than satisfying a thirst for something tasty, for it also provides various health benefits. They say it helps fortify the immune system, establish a more youthful appearance, better a person’s libido, and even lower stress levels.

One thing is for sure, Materva never goes unnoticed in a Cuban household, as everyone wants a sip of your half-empty glass of heritage. It is one of the most sacred memories of the good times enjoyed on the island-nation pre-Castro and his communist revolution.