Club Mate: The Lost History of Germany's Trendiest Soda

Club Mate is Germany's coolest soda - but nobody knows where it's from.

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[Nucksen]

I remember when Club-Mate just started getting big and pretty much every Mate Fan back then introduced the drink to me with the same words: "You get used to it"

[markrm]

First sip: "Ugh, it's like licking an ash tray!"
Second sip: "Ah yes, flow right into me, you heavenly refreshment"

[_stonejelly]

I am a manager of a really big techno club in the Netherlands, and I am also from the south of Brasil! So much to my surprise, when I started working there a few years ago I was shocked that the drink of my people (called Chimarrão in Rio Grande Do Sul) was being drank religiously by the Dutchies! I had always wondered and discussed with people as to what the origins of this bottled version of Chimarrão came from and now one of my favorite YouTubers did a deep dive, so big big love!!

[lanceflare]

When I first went to Uni back in 2012, our canteen was covered in posters in the iconic Club-Mate yellow with minimal branding and the simple statement "Man gewöhnt sich dran.", translating to "You'll get used to it.". Not only is it the most honest and fitting description to the experience of drinking it for the very first time, it is also the one and only marketing campaign I've seen for the brand (I don't even know whether it was official or some DIY stunt) and it has stuck wit me for well over 10 years now.

[rafx]

fun fact: there was an attempt by Coca-Cola Argentina to introduce a yerba mate flavored soda to the market in the early 2000's, but it was a complete and utter failure.

[MrOhitsujiza]

"I tired talking to em and they didn't want to do any advertisement"
"Hue hue hue he will do free advertising for us"

[Blackjack]

"Spezialitäten und Geheimmittel" klingt wie ein Buch, in dem auch der Zaubertrank von Mirakulix drin steht

[mynameiswhm]

Every time someone asks me "is that beer?" in a video call, I'll reply "that's a Berlin's traditional drink"

[katarzynagawronska]

We have Club Mate in Poland in few shops and it is just like you've said - it takes few tries to get to like it, but when it finally hits you, it quickly becomes one of your favourite drinks to have.

[migsmiguel]

A german dude made a Club-Mate clone here in Brazil called Baer-Mate, their slogan is "love in the second sip"... We do have other refreshing beverages based on mate but their usually thicker and sweeter, almost like a mate syrup, Baer-Mate is the only one more watery and fizzier, like the german ones

[votecthulhu]

Its rumored Club Mate was created when the inventor accidentally drank from the water bottle that everyone was putting their cigarette ash into all night

[Marco_Onyxheart]

I'm an embedded engineer and occasional hardware hacker, so of course I know of Club Mate. It was a big thing in our student union. Although I personally never liked it.

[fearofmusic]

I tried my first Club Mate almost exactly 10 years ago and I made the same experience: First I hated that "liquid ash tray" and then I started to love it. I also thought it was just some silly hipster trend thing from Berlin so it's really fascinating to find out now that this stuff is actually much older.

[mattkuhn]

I got into Club Mate during my first summer in grad school in Saarbrücken. It was one of the few beverages that the cafes actually refrigerated, so one could always get a cold fresh club mate for the walk across campus.

[vanthemanwald]

Someone who lives about 15 Minutes from Dietenhofen and 25 Minutes away from Loscher Brewery here.
I always wondered why we call Club Mate Bronte so thanks for teaching me the origin of the name!
Also there's been an urban legend that Club Mate was invented by a Pharmacist from Dietenhofen who then sold the patent to Loscher for like 150€. I guess this is now debunked.

The shot against Loscher beer at the end made me laugh, because there's a "rivalry" going on amongst citizens between Hofmann and Loscher as they're the bigger breweries in the district (Landkreis) and only 5 km apart. There a jokes that Loscher wouldn't survive without Bronte and the beer only used to clean dishes haha.

[robin_marriott]

I’m on holiday in Germany (but unfortunately not as far as Berlin) in August and now I have something else I need to try. Perfect timing.

[valchar]

As an Argentinian software developer this video was so interesting and comical to see. Mate is the go-to drink for productivity, when working or studying, alone or in a group.
You can also see it used by athlets such as soccer players.
I'm glad to see another yerba mate is being used and enjoyed in other parts of the world.

[SFoX-On-Air]

As a CCC member, I’ve been accustomed to this for decades and I make a face whenever someone offers me cola or energy drinks because they taste so extremely sweet.

Nowadays, I’m a desk jockey and have CM delivered to my home by the crate once a month. Programs don't write themselves, after all.

[Luziferne]

Wien hier... ich kannte Mate dank den Panflöten-Bands, lange bevor ich das erste mal die Club Varietät kostete und verliebte mich, nicht in den Geschmack, aber die schöne Monica, die Schwester eines der Panflötenspieler, in ihr bestes Chili der Welt und echten Yerba Mate, samt Ritual mit Stahlstrohhalm und Kürbis. Leider war ich noch jung und dumm und sie mit Heimweh gesegnet, was die Beziehung leider enden ließ.

Aber jeder Schluck Mate, ob als Club oder Tee, "sends me down Memory Lane" wie man so schön sagt

[concretehorsebatterystaple]

Ah, yes! Food history lesson with Andong is back!