The gourd is a hallowed, dried shell that is traditionally used when preparing Mate. In social settings, it is passed around a circle of friends in a clockwise rotation. As each person finishes the gourd, they hand it back to their host who prepares it for the next person.

Curing The Gourd

Before using your gourd for the first time, it is important to remove the bitter gourd taste by curing it. To do this, the dry, flaky material on the inside of the gourd should be scraped with a spoon. Fill the gourd 1/2 of the way with loose yerba mate, and fill with hot water. Allow it to sit and soak for 24 hours. Empty the gourd, scrape it out one more time, and rinse well. Although curing the gourd really only takes one overnight mate-soak, the decision whether to soak it a second time depends on the taste of the mate after curing. If you find that your mate still tastes bitter, you may repeat the curing step and let sit overnight again.

Maintaining The Gourd

Although the common black or green mold that can grow inside a mate gourd won't hurt you or render the gourd unusable, it can make the mate taste bitter. An improperly dried gourd can develop moldy spots within 1-3 days. A green tint on the inside of the gourd is normal and is a result of the mate leaves staining the porous inner surface. After each use, it is important to dry the gourd out well with a paper towel. Stuff another dry paper towel inside the gourd and turn it upside down to help absorb the moisture. If stubborn moldy spots persist, brush and rinse the inside of the gourd with lemon juice, and then rinse with water - set the gourd in the sun to dry it out. NEVER USE SOAP to clean the gourd and NEVER RUN THROUGH A DISHWASHER.

If a tiny leak ever occurs in your gourd, as can happen with any natural product, you can use a small amount of clear nail acrylic on the outside of the gourd without it being noticeable.

Preparing Mate Using a Gourd

Traditionally, a mate infusion is prepared by filling a hollowed gourd up to 3/4 of the way with loose yerba. Other herbs can be added for additional benefits or to alter the flavor. The ingredients in the gourd are then arranged by the preparer by placing the palm of their hand over the opening, turning the gourd upside down, and quickly shaking it to allow the finest material to settle near the palm (at the top of the gourd). It is then carefully tilted sideways to a slightly upright position and shaken gently to settle the material against the side of the gourd, creating a slope that angles the material all the way to the opening. The gourd is then very gently tilted back onto its base with its preparer trying to maintain the structural integrity of the slope as much as possible. Some small shifting of the material will normally occur, but this is to be minimized as much as possible.

Some people prefer to pour a small amount of cold water into the empty side of the gourd so that they can wet the yerba and shape/compact it further before inserting the specialized straw known as a bombilla. Others prefer to insert the bombilla with the yerba still dry. Either way, the bombilla is inserted with ones thumb on the drinking end of the straw and at an angle perpendicular to the slope of yerba.

If not done previously, cool water is added into the gourd, this protects the herb from being scalded and prevents chemical breakdowns of some of yerba's essential nutrients. Once the herb has been given enough time to absorb the cool water (usually about 2-3 minutes), the yerba is now ready to be brewed. The preparer carefully steeps the yerba by pouring hot water (approximately 160-180 degrees, but not boiling) into the empty side of the gourd. Once the gourd is filled with the hot water, the Mate is ready to be consumed. The same material can be brewed many times. Pushing the slope of material from one side of the gourd to the other will allow the hot water to reach the other side of the material, allowing it to be brewed even more.