'Big strap' gourd mate cup |El Boyero

How to cure a gourd Mate:

• Put wet mate leaves at room temperature in the gourd for 24 hours (it can be used mate leaves). Afterwards, empty the gourd and scrape its interior with a spoon to remove the peel.
• Do this again the following day with warm water, and the third day with hot unboiled water, we suggest between 70 and 80°C at the most.
• Each day, scrape the gourd with a spoon until there is nothing left to remove.
• If you like, once you have removed all the peel, you can pour whisky or brandy into the gourd, soak it well and light a flame to smoke it. You must do this carefully in order not to burn the gourd. This process will give the infusion a very special flavor.
• The mate must not be washed. After using it, dry it with a paper napkin and leave another one inside, so it can absorb any remaining moisture.
• We suggest not filling the mate to the brim, that is to say, making sure that the water does not reach the point where the gourd and the metal ferrule join.
• The ferrule is only decorative.