Coca Leaf Tea Photo

Photographer’s Note

Another beautiful day on the Isla del Sol starts with a cup of Mate de Coca. Very commonly drunk in Bolivia it is very tasty. Coca is extremely important in the Andean countries of south America and widely used.

from wikipedia:
Mate de coca, sometimes called "coca tea", is a tisane made from the leaves of the Coca plant (Eritroxilécea). The consumption of coca tea is a common occurrence in many South American countries. Coca tea is also used for medicinal and religious purposes by many indigenous tribes in the Andes. Traditionally, official governmental persons travelling to La Paz in Bolivia are greeted by a mate de coca. News reports noted that Princess Anne and the late Pope John Paul II drank the beverage during visits to the region.

As bolivians say - Coca no es Cocaina

dragonslayero, paura, arturo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

dragonslayero (3108) 2006-11-19 17:55

Hello Shir

Beautiful view of a cup of tea, I'm really no tea loving person but this view here is great and very tempting.
One thing I particularly like about this photo is the visualization I get to an old story I heard about tea.

"Back in achient China and emperor was enjoing a cup of tea(hot water) when a (tea)leaf fell into his cup. He continued drinking and he was amazed at the great feeling he got form the tea after the leaf fell in"

Great use of colour and light. Colours are clear and natural nadthe light is great as it leaves a very soft yet very appropriate shadow on the table.

Odd Jarle

Davidwh (3654) 2006-11-20 16:55

Hi Shir,
So you were drinking the heavy stuff over there eh...noticed you were a bit different when you came back!Putting that aside...a nice use of the soft side light to add form and shape to this inviting cup of "Mate de Coca".I think you should have left the bread out or had it more in the image.The traditional coloured table cloth an added bonus.Well done mate.
Regards, David

hermin (0) 2006-11-22 4:12

hmmmmm...your face looks familiar...:) Small world...I like the patterns and composition here. I gave it a play in a WS, hope you don't mind.

[workshop] [compare] +

paura (39608) 2006-12-02 13:57

Very interesting shot here, Shir. An excellent composition to show us this Bolivia daily life shot. It is a very welll composed photo.

Paulo

arturo (31) 2006-12-15 6:17

Hi Shir,

quite clear capture of this highly mythologized bevarage...personally i found it taste far better when chewed...it is intersting to see at how much a tea bag version of mate de coca sells at amazon.com...it is equally surprising to see mate de coca being sold in the US...i always though the US are on a mission to get rid off this "naughty" plant all together, unluckily Germany still bans this bevarege but i have read that one can get it in Italy and Romania...cheers, arturo