Curing the Mate

It is very important to cure all Natural Mate Gourds before any use. The process helps prevent molding, cracking and improves the flavor. With time, you will notice that the longer you use the gourd, the better the taste of your Yerba Mate. 

Calabash gourd 

- Insert moisten Yerba Mate to the 3/4 of the Mate gourd.

- Add warm water Mate temperature (Be cautious as boiling water may end up breaking your gourd)

- Place the gourd in a ventilated area for twenty-four hours

- After the lapse of this period, pour out all the contents.  

- With the help of a spoon, scrape the interior walls to remove the woody stem.

- Wipe the inside with a paper towel to remove moisture.

- When the stem is completely removed, let dry in the sun.

Use after a few hours!

- We recommend repeating the process 4 - 5 times for best results!

- Dark stains may appear in the interior walls. It is part of the curing process caused by the Yerba, it's nothing to worry about.

- Please contact us privately in case white fungus appears.

Palo Santo wood gourd 

- Rinse the container with water.

- Leave it to dry completely.

- Cover the inside wall of the palo santo with butter or olive oil.

- Let it stand for 2-3 days.

- Wash the container carefully with hot water to remove all traces of fat.

This mate should be kept at constant humidity. It is advisable to use it every day and leave wet leaves in the container until the next day. If not used for a longer period, where the humidity might change, palo santo may be emptied and dried but the drying should be slow, again to prevent cracking.

Palo santo wood has a high content of resin which might come to the surface of the container looking a little bit like icing on a cake. This is a natural process and should not cause any worry.