Caring For your Yerba Mate Gourd

Instructions for curing and caring for your traditional yerba mate gourd.

For the most authentic Yerba Mate experience, try using a traditional mate gourd and bombilla! 

To ensure the longest lifetime out of your drinking gourd, it is necessary to follow a few simple steps. Your goal is to cure the gourd so that the water no longer penetrates the gourd.

When you first receive your gourd, it is essential to allow it to “cure” before use.

Certain traditional gourds can be immediately used and will over time “cure” naturally with use, though we suggest to cure your gourd before use. Curing will improve the taste and strengthen the gourds structure. Often, since gourds are a natural product, there will be fibers (and sometimes even seeds) inside the gourd that must be scraped away and “cleaned out”.

Before first use

Please follow these simple steps.

- Fill your gourd halfway with pure mate and top that off with boiling water

- Let it soak for 24 hours, then pour the mate and water out

- Thoroughly scrape the inside of the gourds walls with a spoon

After repeating these steps, rinse your gourd in hot water.

Do not become concerned with bubbles or color distortions, they are a natural part of the curing process that will help to develop the character of your gourd.

Caring for your gourd over time

It is important to never use soap to clean your gourd!

After each use, discard the used mate, rinse with hot water (using a bottle brush is okay), and store it in a dry ventilated area.

Over time with consistent use, your gourd will stain green from the yerba mate herb, each gourd is unique and this is completely natural, and will also add character to your gourd. Any natural product that takes on water is going to take on character.

We hope that you enjoy and appreciate the traditional custom of drinking your Yerba Mate out of its traditional vessel!