Curing your mate gourd

If the gourd ("mate") is new then it should be cured before using it the first time. This will help to protect the inside of the gourd from cracking and also reduce the chances of you experiencing a strange taste or an upset stomach from using the mate.

To "curar el mate" follow these steps:

1. Wash the inside of the mate with hot water
2. Fill the mate with used yerba (*) and add some warm water so that the yerba soaks inside
3. Leave the filled mate to stand for around 24 hours.
4. Remove the old yerba and throw it away
5. Repeat steps 2-4 a couple of times so that the inside of the mate changes colour

(*) if you don't have any used yerba then use new yerba with hot water instead and repeat the process 1 extra time.

Regular mate drinkers can easily drink over one litre of mate per day, but if you're not used to drinking mate then start off drinking just a small amount the first few times - it may take some time for your stomach to adjust. It wont be long until you love the taste and health benefits that yerba mate brings you!