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)

Inexpensive, but classic. Real gourd, not a fake

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.

I purchased these as a set. One was large and one was small, not a set. Also the cleaners were missing, but decided to keep them because they were super cute. Then when I used them they leaked, so I sent them back.

Cost:Having learned the Yerba Mate culture in Argentina and Uruguay, this set of two Mate Gourds (mates in spanish) and two disassembleable "sipping filtering straws" (bombillas), and a straw cleaning brush, strikes me as reasonable affordable for the USA market.Quality:The drinking gourds are of a little above average handmade craftsmanship, and acceptable materialsThe drinking straws are of slightly below average fabrication, but acceptable materials. Not a bad design though...The straw cleaning brush is acceptable, although it had sharp edges at the cut end of the twisted wire.Customer experience:The booklet detailing how to properly cure the drinking gourds is definitely above average, both in the quality of the information, and the accessibility for the uninitiated.The items were well packaged.

Great product .

Hello,I really wanted to like this product, as it seems similar to what acquaintances were using when I was drinking Mate for the first time in Argentina.I received it, followed the instructions (soak overnight & strip out the extra gourd flesh x 2) , and despite taking extreme care to not over-strip the flesh, the gourd still leaks.It's not a fast leak - but it will make anything under it wet over the course of hours.So it's basically un-usable, and is not the device that will get me to enjoy Mate.I do like the item, the thought behind it, and the overall package - I just wish it didn't leak.I may just have had bad luck - these are natural containers, and may not all be waterproof.

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.

Excelente