I’m always learning new things about yerba mate. But some things can only be learned through experience.

And that was the case for today’s post.

Years ago, I used to think a cured gourd made little to no difference. The only benefit I saw was the cleaning of the inside. It helped remove all the loose tissue and membrane. That’s it.

However, as I’ve continued to drink yerba mate from the same calabash gourd I bought 2+ years ago, it’s apparent that there are more benefits to it than what meets the eye.

And I’m going to lay it all out for you, starting with…

#1: Better Taste

If you were to tell me years ago that a cured gourd will make my mate taste better, I never would’ve believed it. Not just because I didn’t want to, but because of experience, I didn’t find it true.

But then I realized what was wrong…

It’s not just any cured gourd that makes mate taste better, but a fully cured gourd that does.

A gourd that’s been used over a hundred times. A gourd that has a silky smooth interior. And a gourd that’s painted entirely black on the inside.

Drinking mate from this fully cured gourd makes a whole world of a difference.

When I’m reviewing yerba mate brands, I try it in several different gourds. My cured calabash, my stainless steel gourd, my wood gourd, etc. And every time, I’ve noticed that when I drink from my calabash, it always tastes different compared to my other gourds.

It’s not a small difference either. It’s almost like drinking a completely different brand.

Some aspects of the mate I find in my calabash are missing when it’s prepared in stainless steel. And it makes sense why. My calabash has essentially absorbed the flavors of tens of different yerba mate brands. So that now whenever it’s used, it releases some of that flavor that’s been stored in it over the years.

#2: Fast Drying Time

Another benefit of a fully cured calabash is a fast drying time.

My gourd, from the second it’s cleaned out after being used, can become bone-dry in a matter of just 12 hours. I know this is true because I would drink mate in the morning, be lazy and clean it at night (I don’t recommend this), and by the time I wake up the next morning, it’s completely dry.

And I love that because I get to use my favorite gourd each day.

Compared to a newly used calabash gourd, drying usually takes a minimum of 24 hours.

I experience this first-hand because we pre-cure new calabash gourds almost every day for our customers (you can get one here). And it always takes at least an entire day for it to completely dry.

The reason why fully cured gourds dry so fast is because has less loose material inside. That is, if you’re cleaning it correctly. This is why over time, the inside of your gourd becomes smooth. The less loose material inside, the less moisture that’s contained. The more material inside (new gourds), the more moisture that’s contained.

Which leads me to my next point…

#3: Lower Chance Of Mold

Mold is a true and common concern in the yerba mate world. Many gourds have been taken down because of it.

Why?

Because mold loves moisture and calabash gourds retain a lot of it. But a fully cured gourd retains less. And in return, has a lower chance of growing mold.

The faster your gourd dries, the less time mold has to act.

So if you’ve ever been afraid of seeing mold in your gourd, just use it more often and don’t forget to store it properly. Preferably in a cool, dry, sunny spot.

#4: Easier To Clean

With a new calabash gourd, the inside is usually slightly rough. Almost like sandpaper. It’s a bit grainy and spiky.

And it’s this type of texture that makes it harder to clean your gourd because the surface holds on to the leaves and stems. A quick rinse won’t clear it all out. You’ll need to double-check and maybe even use your nail to scrape the bits off.

Whereas with a fully cured mate gourd, because the walls are smooth, this isn’t necessary.

At some point, the walls become as smooth as the gourd’s exterior, and this allows the leaves to easily slide off when rinsed.

How To Fully Cure A Mate Gourd Fast

If you want to reap all these benefits of a fully cured gourd, there’s just one thing you need to do.

And that is to use it as much as possible.

Every time you use it, the closer you are to fully curing it.

Again, a fully cured gourd is one that’s completely smoothed out on the inside and almost entirely colored black. Some gourds may take longer than others to reach this point as each gourd varies in density and porosity.

But you can speed up the process by curing your gourd the traditional way, but it’s not necessary. You can get the same effect by using the gourd and leaving the yerba in until the next day. Doing this prevents you from wasting a good mate session.

Then, and this is important, when you go to clean your gourd, always gently scrape the walls to continue removing any loose material to smooth it out.

And in no time, your gourd will finally be fully cured. You’ll know it is when it doesn’t change in appearance even after many more uses.

Final Words

I’ve said this before, but a calabash gourd is an investment.

What you get upfront isn’t the greatest thing in the world. It takes time, patience, and work, to get it to the point where you start seeing real-time rewards.

And those rewards are a better-tasting mate, and an easy-cleaning, fast-drying gourd.

P.S. If you want to start your journey to a fully-cured gourd, check out our store to get one now.