BALIBETOV Yerba Mate Gourd Set (Original Natural Handmade Yerba Mate Cup Argentina) - Includes Mate Tea Cup, Bombilla (Mate Straw) and Clean Brush - Classic Mate Cup and Bombilla (Dark Brown)

My grandson bought this yerba because he said it looked cool. Lol. I took it out of the box, read the instructions on it, how it was made, and how to clean it. This thing is really neat. It's made from a natural grown product. It looks like leather on the inside, but the booklet says no. It's all natural. The booklet tells in detail how it was made and how long it took. Me & my grandson love this thing. I don't think he will ever use it though. He has it sitting on a shelf in his bedroom, still in the box. When his friends come over he has to show it off, but he don't let anyone touch it. He's pretty good at taking care of his things. He does know what to do with it, and how to use it, but like I said, I don't think he will ever use it.. I give it 5 stars because it's made from natural grown vegetable. Very unique in craftsmanship.

Curing a gourd is quite an involved process... but if you follow the instructions you will end up with a cured gourd that you can use for a long time. These gourds are quite fragile though & should be protected from bumps & falls. The key in gourd curing is drying the gourd in the sun. After 1 curing of 24 hours & one drying session of 24 hours with 6 of that in direct sunlight, I used my gourd for the first time. What a treat! Besides the doughy & oaty aroma of my yerba, I was hit by the smoky scent of the calabash gourd. This added to my second cycle where the taste of melons & nuts came through with a touch of bitterness made this a divine experience. I now knew why the top cebadors used small gourds in their competitions. The flavors are more intense & less watered down. You get more cycles of consistent flavor. And even if your yerba becomes lavado aka washed out you still can enjoy the aromas & flavors a newish, no longer bitter gourd will impart. Caveats: spoon yerba into the gourd and scoop it out. If you don't it will get caught under the ring. This is something they should add to the manual. Also never fill it all the way to the top. There should be 1/2 or a 1/4 centimeter of space between the ring & water. Otherwise it will leak. This is just how these kinds of gourds are. You'll need a gourd of a different shape. Anyway, I like this new gourd so much, I'm taking it on my trip to the lands that drink yerba mate wrapped in bubble wrap.

I was looking forward to receiving this nice-looking mate gourd but am very disappointed in that $19.99 plus shipping is a lot to pay for a defective mate gourd that that leaks from the bottom! What makes it even worse is that I contacted the seller to let them know of the problem, and they're completely ignoring me. Update: the seller never did respond to me, but Amazon did the right thing and refunded both the cost of the product and the shipping cost. Kudos to Amazon! You have always done right by me whenever there’s and issue with an order. To the manufacturer, you really need to rethink the way you treat (or mistreat) your customers.

Inexpensive, but classic. Real gourd, not a fake

Fill the gourd with warm water and dump it. Do this several times until you dump clear water. Fill the gourd with mate, let it stand for a day, dump the mate. Place straw in the gourd, fill with mate add hot water sip and enjoy. You can get about 4 servings out of one fill. Dump and fill and enjoy 4 more.

we had to return it bc it leaks on the sides, it was a gift for my little brother

I chose this gourd because I love the flower detail on the metal ring at the mouth. The seasoning process was simple...after it sat with maté in it overnight, the internal stem was easy to snap off. I have had to change my ways a little bit to care for the mug and prevent damage to it. Out of laziness, I usually leave my tea cups out overnight with a little bit of tea left in them, and then dump it and rinse it in the morning just before using it again. But this mug doesn’t like staying wet that long so when I’m done drinking I just shake it into the trash or the garden and set it somewhere (right side up) to dry. Don’t place it upside down or you’ll encourage mold. But really, it takes more effort to type about all this than to actually do it. I love how the warmth of the tea transfers easily through the gourd (which never burns because you shouldn’t use boiling water with maté) and the shape of the gourd is perfect for cradling in your hands to warm them. I ordered the dark gourd and it is so handsome that my husband wants one now. I told him he has to start drinking maté before he can have a gourd. The box it comes in is nice enough to be giftable and anyone into maté would be thrilled to receive such a lovely gourd.

This product is absolutely FANTASTIC, well made. Side note: I've seen several bad reviews on this product. One thing you need to know before buying it is a GOURD - Hence it needs to be cured for few days before using it. My suggestion if you're new to drinking Mate or other infusions, get some information about how it's prepared and how to cure this type of container (there's a process involved before trying it). I'm pretty happy with it so far, loving it.

Viel kann ich nicht berichten, da sich jemand diesen Becher gewünscht hat und ich ihn nur bestellt habe. Auf jeden Fall gäbe es nichts zu bemängeln und die Person ist super zufrieden. Sowohl mit der schönen Optik, als auch mit der Verarbeitung. Ich darf daher "im Auftrag" fünf Sterne vergeben ;)

La verdad que estaba un poco escéptico con respecto a comprar un mate por aquí, pero dadas las circunstancias no tuve otra opcion. Hoy luego de recibirlo, puedo confirmar que fue una gran decisión!!! El tamaño justo de calabaza, color marrón oscuro y muy bien cuidado, la bombilla de un tamaño y calidad (a simple vista) muy buena, el detalle metálico muy bien logrado. Ahora me faltaría un posa mate de alambre. Estoy en proceso de curado desde ya hace 3 días y esperare uno más. sin embargo las instrucciones no estaban en la caja como aquí anuncian. Es un pequeño detalle que para aquellos que no saben como hacerlo, le vienen de mucha ayuda. En fin, muy contento con la compra.

Bonita cuia de mate/chimarrão típica argentina.

Fin liten allt i ett paket till tedrickande.

It’s a good Mate