As everyone knows, yerba mate is traditionally drunk from a dried, hollowed out calabash gourd.

But as yerba mate continues to gain popularity, more mate products are being made.

More modern products.

And one of the most recent products are silicone gourds.

Plenty of people have come to like them (I do). While others think it’s offensive to tradition.

If you’re the latter, I recommend you read this post because I’m going to go into full detail about which is better: a silicone gourd or calabash gourd?

Let’s get right to it.

Silicone Gourd VS Calabash Gourd: Taste

I put this section first because I’m sure this was one of your biggest concerns.

So I’m going to give you the answer. (Just so you know, this is from someone who owns both types of gourds).

Are you ready?

Here it is…

Silicone gourds taste the same as calabash gourds.

Despite what most people say, they do.

I drink from both gourds daily, and I can tell you that it makes no difference which gourd you use.

Even if there was a difference in taste, it’s hardly noticeable.

Silicone Gourd VS Calabash Gourd: Preparing Yerba Mate

When it comes to actually preparing yerba mate, silicone gourds aren’t too great.

I’ve come across two problems…

Here’s the first one.

A silicone gourd is not flat on the top like a calabash. It has a small flap. And this can become a problem when you make mate.

How?

An important step when making mate is to turn it upside down and shake it. This is so the large particles travel to the bottom, allowing better filtration.

But this is can be troublesome with a silicone gourd.

Because of its shape, the opening is a bit big and it’s hard to completely cover the top with your hand. So when you try to turn it upside down, you’ll drop a bit of yerba. Not a lot. But enough to bring your attention to.

A calabash gourd on the other hand, you can cover the top with no problem. It’s usually very small and flat. And fits right in your palm.

Now here’s the second problem.

Silicone is very flexible. And if you’re not careful, you can spill your mate.

Personally, this never happened to me. But many customers had this problem.

If you want to prevent this from happening, all you have to do is pour in less water.

Silicone Gourd VS Calabash Gourd: Care

This is where a silicone gourd completely wrecks a calabash gourd.

If you’re like me, you don’t always have the time to properly cure, clean, and store your gourds. Sometimes you’re in a rush. And don’t want to worry about your gourd breaking or getting mold.

Right?

Of course you are.

This is one of the biggest responsibilities you must take when owning a calabash gourd (or any other gourd for that matter).

A silicone gourd on the other hand?

You don’t need to worry about anything.

Drop it, throw it, leave it in the sink… It doesn’t matter. A silicone gourd is practically unbreakable and will never get mold.

But with a calabash gourd, if you drop it, you can expect to buy a new one. Or if you didn’t store it properly, you just might find mold living in there.

Silicone Gourd VS Calabash Gourd: Structure

In regards to size, silicone gourds and calabash gourds are about the same.

However – like I said earlier – a calabash gourd has a much smaller opening than silicone gourds.

But what makes a silicone gourd a bit unique is that it has a special holder for the bombilla. This is ideal because one of the biggest mistakes when drinking yerba mate is moving the straw. This ruins the placement of the leaves and increases the chances of you sucking it up.

Another thing a silicone gourd has that a calabash doesn’t is a stem. The stem is a natural part of the calabash. However, if you mess with it, your gourd can leak.

You don’t have to worry about that with a silicone gourd. It’s completely smooth inside and out.

Silicone Gourd VS Calabash Gourd: Cleaning

This is another category where a silicone gourd takes the crown.

After using calabash gourds, you must make sure you cleaned out each and every crevice. You can’t leave any yerba mate leaves in there. Which is hard because they’re almost glued to the walls of the gourd.

And don’t forget about the drying process. Calabash gourds take up to 24 hours to dry completely.

How do you clean a silicone gourd?

Simple.

Pour the leaves out. Rinse it under water. And either leave it there to dry or wipe it down.

As I said before, silicone gourds won’t grow mold. So it doesn’t even matter if you dry it or not.

Silicone Gourd VS Calabash Gourd: Summary

Silicone gourds are just as good as calabash gourds (maybe even better).

There’s nothing like sticking to tradition with a calabash gourd. There’s something that just feels right about it. But the responsibilities that come with it can be tiresome.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my calabash as much as my silicone.

But when I’m in a hurry or don’t want to worry about anything, I always reach for my silicone gourd.

It’s convenient, inexpensive, and easy to care for.

If you want to learn more about silicone gourds, check out this post.

P.S. You can get your silicone gourd (bombilla included) over here. (Amazon)

P.P.S. If you enjoyed this post, you might also want to check out our store for all your yerba mate needs.