Well, it would seem that William Mill Butler really liked yerba maté tea. That, or he wrote some really entertaining pro-maté propaganda for the Yerba Maté Tea Company. I'd like to think it's a little of both; either way I'm happy to know that old-timey tea propaganda is a thing that exists.

This short nugget reads as one part yerba maté ethnography, one part ridiculous advertisement. Butler definitely talks up the product with great enthusiasm, "Several charming society women have already assured me that this will become a fad and have requested me to procure a supply of the pretty calabashes. I am authorized to state the shipment of the choicest kinds is already on the way and will be placed on the market by the Yerba Mate Tea Company" (33). What heroes.

Anyways, as my tea habit is one of my defining characteristics at the office, I was just gifted this cute lil' book with a big ole' bag of yerba maté for Christmas. It was immensely satisfying to sip on the nutty flavored tea while giggling through this book. It's also worth noting, this book aside, the tea gets five stars, as does my bud who gave me this. So Butler, you still win.