I decided to try mate. Finding the mate itself wasn’t an issue. Stores carry literally all Argentine brands: Piporé, Rosamonte, Taragüi, Cruz de Malta, Andresito, etc. There are even some lesser-known ones like Pampa and Aguamate.

However, finding a cup for mate turned into quite a puzzle 😳. Considering my heart issues, GPT recommended that I limit myself to no more than 15 grams of mate per day and use a cup (called a "calabash") of about 150-160 ml. There are plenty of these, but the selection is either limited or the prices are way too high. Argentine (clearly Chinese-made) calabashes cost $25 and up—and that’s without the straw.

Chinese options are somewhat helpful, but not much. They offer 100 ml and 180 ml sizes, but nothing in between. I'm, of course, only considering stainless steel ones.