gaucho market - original mate gourd set, firewood cured (ready to use). includes straw (bombilla), and yerba spoon. made in argentina of natural calabash. (dark brown) gaucho-market <p><strong>pumkin (calabaza)mate set</strong></p> <p>calabaza is made from the fruit of "lagenaria siceraria", it is named as mate, poro or porongo all coming from the quichua language of incas, the largest native empire in south america, during the pre-columbian age. each mate gourd has a unique shape varying a bit one from the other.</p> <p><strong>one step away from the mate spirit</strong></p> <p>before starting:<br />do not fill the gourd with boiling water. it might crack it and make it leak.<br />if the gourd has a metal rim, do not fill the gourd up to the rim; otherwise, it might leak.<br />some gourds are hand-painted on the outside. it is normal to expect a little of outside color fade during the first rinse.<br />after the gourd has been cured it will get an inside greenish natural color. that’s a sign that the inner porous surface has been sealed.</p> <p><strong>now, how to cure the mate gourd (it’s easy indeed):</strong></p> <li>fill 3/4 of your new mate gourd with yerba.</li> <li>add hot (not boiled!) water until the yerba is fully covered.</li> <li>let the yerba absorb the water for 30 minutes and then fill the gourd with water to the top.</li> <li>leave the gourd with the yerba and water in it for 24 hours.</li> <li>remove the used yerba, and gently scrape inside the gourd with a small spoon to remove loose debris.</li> <li>rinse the gourd only with water.</li> <li>now you have the gourd cured and ready to use.</li> <li>enjoy your mate!</li> <p><strong>set includes:</strong></p> <li>stainless steel bombilla (5.5" / 4 cm)</li> <li>especilly designed yerba mate spoon (might come on random color of green or sylver) (4.5" / 11.5 cm)</li>