Asunción

general

Tap water in Paraguay is potable.

The most common drink in Paraguay is Mate made of Yerba Mate Mate herbs that is similar in style to tea but the preparation is distinct. To add sugar is not common in Paraguay. When it is summerly hot, it is more common to drink it with cold water and called Terere pronounced tae-rae-rae - often drunk from a cow horn fasioned cup. Cold or hot, it is drunk through a communal silver-plated straw the bombilla. It is a social activity so the cup is passed around - with in between a refill for each person. If you are offered either you should accept at least one cup. Another variation of preparation is to boil the yerba on the stove with sugar then strain it before serving it with milk. It tastes a bit like smoked tea. In this form it is called Cocido, which simply means "cooked".

Gaseosa means fizzy drinks of any description. All the usual brands are available. Try the local Guarana.

Coffee is mostly of an Italian variety. There are several locations of Café Havanna (http://www.havanna.com.py/), a Starbucks-like Argentine coffee chain. One is just off the corner of Avenida Mcal. López and Avenida Rca. Argentina.

In Paraguay, orange juice and other fruit juices, unless squeezed fresh, are almost always reconstituted from dehydrated concentrate. This applies to all unrefrigerated Tetra-Pak juices. Note that the dehydration process destroys vitamin C, and unlike in the West, ascorbic acid may not be added back after reconstitution, thus these fruit juices may not contain any appreciable amount of vitamin C. Either check the packaging, buy fresh juice freshly squeezed from a street vendor, or Purifru brand in the refrigerator cabinet, or enjoy the wide variety of fresh fruit available on many street corners.