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

In the languid embrace of an Arkansas summer, when the air was thick with the scent of magnolia and the languorous pulse of cicadas hummed a reminder of childhood days, I found myself the grateful custodian of two humble gourds. The process of curing them became an intimate ritual, a slow dance with time—soaking them tenderly in herba mate and later laying them under the benevolent gaze of the sun as if coaxing secrets from their wooden skins.On the smaller of these, I affixed a Louisiana quarter, a talisman of my boyhood home, a shimmering sliver of nostalgia that held the echoes of my past. Each day, without fail, I would engage with these gourds, their surfaces polished to a gleaming lustre with a carnauba lemon oil that whispered of brightness and warmth. It was a communion of sorts, a celebration of memory intertwined with the beauty of the present.Yet today, calamity struck—a fateful misstep as the flapping cuff of my shirt carelessly caught the gourd, sending it skittering across the tile floor in a cruel ballet of misfortune. It landed with a resigned thud, now marred by a crack that traversed its elegant form, a poignant reminder of fragility amidst beauty. Nonetheless, even in this imperfect state, it remains a sight to behold, a testament to its grace.While it is true I possess a spare—an echo of the original—I am determined to seek out a new companion for it, for this encounter with beauty, even when shadowed by misfortune, has left me profoundly pleased with the generous gift I encountered. Life in all its imperfections retains a certain allure, a continuous narrative threading through the fabric of my existence here in Arkansas.

When my cuias arrived there was already mold growing all inside the gourd and there was a lot of large flaking of the skin inside. I was bummed but I thought the curing process might kill the mold and that I could gently scrape the large pieces of skin after it had soaked in yerba. Well, when I started to wash it in warm water the dye used on the outside of the gourd bled all over my hands, sink, and countertop. My countertop is now stained purple. At this point I'm annoyed, but am determined to save this poor, abused cuias. So I fill the cuias with yerba as described in the instructions, and start to fill the mate with hot water. After doing this, I try to move it down the countertop, out of the way of things, and I knocked the silver ring at the rim off by just barely touching it! The craftsmanship is simply awful, shoddy, and really embarrassing. The bombilla is nice, tho I would warn you, DO NOT BUY THIS PRODUCT unless you want to pay $30+ for a bombilla and a failed cuias.

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.

Mate is in fine condition and not cracked as some have experienced. Opening is smaller than ideal but useable. The bombilla is trash. The inside obviously needs to be cleaned and cured prior to use, which is less involved than some reviewers say but still more than the instructions. All being said, unless you plan on making a trip to South America, where you would find a far superior one for only a couple dollars, this is about the only authentic mate I saw here within a reasonable price range. Paying $30 or more for a mate is just absurd. And who would want one line with plastic, ceramic or steel? As they say, those are only good for tereré.

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.