When you get into yerba mate, one of the first things you need to learn is how to cure a mate gourd.
There are several curing methods out there that can make it all confusing. But this guide will show you how to do it in just 20 minutes, as well as the traditional method to see how it compares.
Curing is a done to prep your gourd and get it ready to use. But there's a lot of false information around it that needs to be debunked.
For now, let's learn which gourds even need curing.
If you’re new to calabash gourds, you can browse our collection mate gourds to get started.
Which Gourds Need To Be Cured?
Gourds come in many different materials, but only some of them need to be cured.
Gourds made of:
- Ceramic
- Glass
- Silicone
- And stainless steel
Do NOT need to be cured. Gourds made from these materials only require a quick rinse and wipe down.
However, gourds made of:
- Wood
- And calabash
… must be cured.
This guide will only cover calabash gourds.
You can read our guide on how to cure wooden gourds here.
What Curing Does To Gourds
If you read other guides on how to cure calabash gourds, you’ll find some say that curing helps prevent the gourd from mold, cracks, splits, and "seals the pores".
But this is all false.
Mold in mate gourds is caused by excess, prolonged moisture inside the gourd. It's during the drying period where mold can start forming. And curing cannot prevent that - only faster drying can.
There’s only one real benefit to curing a calabash.
Other than for traditional reasons, that benefit is simply to clean out the inside and remove its bitter taste.
When you buy a calabash, they'll often have loose tissue and material inside of them. And if you don’t get rid of it, they can impart a bitter taste to your mate and take longer to dry.
To remove them, we will be using one of the two curing methods below.
How To Cure A Mate Gourd
If you remember, there are two ways to cure a calabash gourd.
One that takes a few days, and one that takes 20 minutes.
I’m going to show you the long way first, which I don’t recommend other than for cultural reasons.
Traditional Curing Method
Step 1: Fill your gourd halfway with new or used yerba.
Step 2: Then fill the gourd with hot (not boiling) water. No higher than 170ºF. Wait a minute or two for the leaves and gourd to soak, then top it off again.
Step 3: Now let it steep for at least 24 hours. Some even say 3-5 days.
Step 4: After time has passed, dump everything out and scrape the walls of the calabash to remove whatever loose plant material is left. Make sure you clean out all the leaves.
Step 5: Repeat steps 3-6 one or two more times
Step 6: Once cleaned, pat the inside of your gourd with a paper towel or cloth to soak up as much water as possible.
Step 7: Place your gourd on its side in a cool, dry spot to dry. Ideally by a fan. Sunlight is recommended but is not mandatory.
Once completely dry, it’s finally ready to be used.
If this all sounded like a long repetitive process, that’s because it is. What’s worse, you also have to sacrifice some yerba.
But don’t worry…
This second method for curing a gourd only takes 20 minutes.
Curing A Gourd In 20 Minutes
Step 1: Fill your gourd to the top with hot water. Again, not boiling.
Step 2: Wait 15-20 minutes for the hot water to absorb and loosen the soft tissue, or until you see no more bubbles coming to the surface.
Step 3: When time’s up, take a spoon and start scraping the inner walls. The material should easily come off. Make sure you get as much as you can and cover all sides of the gourd, even the bottom.
Step 4: Rinse your gourd under warm water to get rid of all the free-floating tissue.
Step 5: Once cleaned, pat the inside with a paper towel or cloth to soak up as much water as you can.
Step 6: Place your gourd on its side in a cool, dry spot to dry. Ideally by a fan.
And that’s it!
Now I know what you’re thinking, How come I have to use yerba in the first method and not the second?
Here’s why…
How The Two Curing Methods Differ
Remember what I said about why we cure mate gourds?
It’s so that we can remove the tissue inside to prevent it from making the mate taste bitter.
This is why the first method uses yerba mate for the curing process. It’s believed that the gourd soaks up the flavors from the brew, and in return, enhances the overall taste. But it's not so much the yerba making it taste good, but the bitter taste of the calabash being removed.
And all that takes is steeping it in hot water to extract all the bitter tannins and compounds.
Do You Have To Cure A Gourd?
When you get a new gourd, all you want to do is use it. So why wait an additional day or two to cure it when the benefit is barely noticeable?
Besides, when you use it, it naturally cures on its own as it sits in yerba and hot water for hours each time.
Obviously not at the same rate as actually curing it, but it happens as it gets used and dried. And you’ll see this happen in real-time when the inside of your gourd starts to stain green/grey.
If you decide to skip curing, the least you should do is steep it in hot water for 1-2 minutes to clean out any debris. Calabashes are handled at many points in time before it reaches you and debris/dust can easily get inside. So just like you'd wash your produce before eating them, it's best to at least clean the gourd quickly before using it.
Curing a mate gourd is mostly ritual practice. But if you want to do it for traditional reasons or just to be safe, by all means, go for it.
Just don’t believe the false claims that curing a gourd can prevent mold, breakage, or leaks because it doesn’t.
In this context, curing is synonymous with cleaning.
If you want to put this knowledge to use, shop our mate gourds now!
