How to prepare a mate gourd for first use

Preparing the gourd for Yerba Mate

Every natural gourd should be cured before the first use. The curing helps with the removal of loose tissue and prepares the gourd for its use with Yerba Mate.

How to Cure the Gourd:

For pure yerba mate (with no additives like sugar), fill the gourd with fresh yerba mate and add boiling water. Let stand for a day. Rinse the gourd and remove loose tissue with a spoon. Please do not remove the stem in the center of the gourd. Doing so will cause the gourd to leak. Repeat for two or three days.

For "sweet" mate, wet the gourd with boiling water, add two or three teaspoons of sugar and a small piece of burning coal. Cover the gourd mouth and shake vigorously to burn (caramelize) the sugar on the sides of the gourd. Empty the gourd and proceed as instructed above.

Cleaning the Gourd:

The gourd should be hand washed only using hot or boiling water and no soap or detergent. Do not put the gourd in the dishwasher. Keep the gourd dry between uses, placing a paper towel or napkin in the gourd after use will help absorb excess moisture.