Before you may begin enjoying your mate, you must first cure your mate gourd. This will ensure that . There are many ways to cure a gourd and any of them is probably fine, but on this post we will show you how to do it the traditional Gaúcho way. So let’s get to it!
You will need:
- Vegetal ash
- Boiling water (as much as your gourd can hold)
- Fresh yerba mate
- Gourd
So now that you have all the listed items in place, here is how you can go about curing your gourd:
- Fill 2/3 of your gourd with an equal mix of yerba mate and vegetal ash.
- Add boiling water until it reaches the rim of your gourd. Wait a few minutes and the water level will go down. Fill it again.
- Leave this infusion inside the gourd for about 48 hours, so that the walls of the gourd can become fully impregnated with the mix. The yerba mate will add to the taste and the ash will contribute to the endurance of your gourd.
- After 2 days, wash the mix away using only hot water.
- Enjoy!
Be aware that the more you use the gourd, the better your mates will taste. Happy drinking!
