Matte’ Café!! A New Business

If anyone doesn’t know anything about what Matte’ is, I hope the description below will help you formulate a minimal idea about it.

Matte’ is a plant that is grown in Latin America and primarily consumed there. Its use is to make beverages such as Lemonade or can be drunk after it is boiled with water and sweetened with some sugar or honey or left without sweetening if sugar is a problem. Originally, it has a bitter taste; it was brought to Lebanon and the Middle East long ago in a period I can’t depict but I will research later.

In Lebanon, the main consumer of the imported Matte’ brands is the Druze community in addition to other sects such as Sunnis, Shiites, and Christians especially in the Bekaa and some areas in Mount Lebanon.

The preparation of Matte’ is simple and easy; on a tray, there are three bowls; one filled with Matte’, the other with sugar, and a third empty bowl used to clean the bombilla with hot water, a lemon peal, and a clean tissue; Moreover, there is the gourd (wooden jug), the bombilla, and the water pot.

Matte’ or Yerba Matte’ is considered popular because it gathers the members to socialize while enjoying its taste. And because its preparation is time consuming, I never imagined that a café for Yerba Matte could even exist. But, as usual, I was wrong. Last week, while I was walking down the streets of Alley, a well-designed and decorated café attracted my attention. Its name shocked me from the first sight as it said “The Matte’ café”; It was really shocking coz if any one of you have seen how Matte’ is prepared, he/she would realize that it is near impossible to sell it in cafés. The most critical thing is the bombilla coz it may transmit diseases it not well-cleaned, but in the Matte’ café the bombillas are disposable; that is thrown after one-time consumption.

Although Matte’ is considered a traditional and historical, in the Matte’ café tradition and history are brought together with technology so that you can enjoy your Matte’ “meal” and surf the high speed internet with HP laptops given to the customers for free. Don’t be afraid, if you are not a Matte’ consumer, you can have your coffee mix and the Hubble bubble if you are a smoker.

In this country, every thing is possible; and I will never wonder if anything could be possible because in this country and in this life everything is possible, even Matte’ in a café.

For more information, check this link.