Tea in High Places

Coca Tea – Gift of the Gods

By Sandra Scott

The Sacred Valley of Peru is breathtaking – literally.  My husband, John, and I found the perfect place to catch our breath.  The Sonesta hotel in Yucay is located between Cusco and the Inca citadel of Machu Picchu. Yucay is a quiet little town at 9,000 feet above sea level – a full 2,000 feet lower than Cusco.  Being at an altitude of 8000 feet or higher can cause some physical problems – shortness of breath, headaches, problems sleeping, and occasionally, more severe problems.  We planned time to acclimatize before going to Cusco and on to even higher altitudes in Puno and La Paz, Bolivia.

After landing at the airport in Cusco we caught a cab for the one-hour drive to Yucay. The views along the way were breathtaking and so was the altitude. We entered the Sonesta hotel through the 17^th century Santa Catalina de Sena Monastery where each room has a plaque remembering the nun who lived there. In the next plaza, Stefanie Elorieta, front desk assistant, greeted us with steaming cups of coca tea.  Coca tea has been the favored drink of the people in the Andes Mountains since before the time of the Incas.  Incas referred to it as a gift of the gods.

Like most teas, the leaves of the coca plant are steeped in hot water.  The hotel prepares the tea from pre-packaged coca teabags but extra tealeaves are often added to make a stronger brew. Owing to the presence of stimulant alkaloids, mate de coca, as it is called, provides a source of energy similar to coffee.  We sipped the tea, which looks and tastes a bit like green tea, and followed the axiom for adjusting to the altitude: walk slowly, eat little, and sleep a lot.  The Sonesta Yucay, surrounded by mountains, is so peaceful we spent the next couple days enjoying the scenery, walking slowly around the village, and sleeping a lot.

We fell in love with the hotel and Yucay.  The Sonesta is a village within a village with several small plazas, each with trickling fountains decorated with colorful flowers. The hotel has a church, shops, a spa, and handicraft market.  For excitement we talked to the alpacas, watched the farmers return from the fields with their animals, chatted with the handicraft vendors, read in the garden, and took advantage of the spa.  Whenever we felt a shortness of breath we headed to the lobby for a cup of mate de coca. It only takes a couple days to adjust but we stretched our stay to four days.

From the Sonesta we took a cab to Poroy, between Yucay and Cusco and boarded the luxurious Hiram Bingham Orient Express train to magical, mystical Machu Picchu.  On board, Warren Angulo, the train’s maitre’d, suggested we try some mate de coca with our gourmet brunch.  We sipped our tea while the train traveled through incredibly beautiful scenery. The Sanctuary of Machu Picchu, poised as it is on a mountaintop, takes one’s breath away—not because of the altitude but because of the view.  At the end of the tour we gathered with other Hiram Bingham passengers in Machu Picchu Sanctuary Lodge for late afternoon tea.  Even though we had acclimated to the altitude we opted for coca tea with our buffet of tea sandwiches, cookies, and sweets.

When the train returned to Poroy station, we took a cab to the Orient Express Monasterio Hotel in Cusco.  We were well adjusted to the altitude, so exploring more of the wonders of Peru – namely Cusco and Lake Titicaca – was not a problem The scenery was breathless, but we were not.  We were able to fully enjoy amazing Peru: the Sacred Valley, Machu Picchu, Cusco, Puno and Lake Titicaca, - and, coca tea helped to make it possible.

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