To "cure" your mate:/p> Amargo (style)

[...means "bitter"; The most typical drinking method.]

To cure a gourd for drinking mate amargo...

--First wash your gourd with hot water (no soap) and remove any loose interior of the gourd with a spoon. [These gourds are a natural product and may contain dried pulp--but this curing process will help clean the gourd--and inhibit mold growth as well.]
--Do not remove the inner hard "stem" from the flower end of the interior of the gourd--this could result in a greater liklihood of seepage.
--Fill completely with new or spent yerba. We now have free yerba for curing--available in our MATES category listing.
--Fill to the top with hot water and let sit for an entire day.
--Clean out as described above.
--Repeat these steps two more times, clean out the yerba, let dry completely, and your gourd will be infused with flavor and ready to use!

Dulce (style)

[...or "sweet" mate--an optional method.]

To cure a gourd for drinking mate dulce cure as above, then... Wet the inside of the mate first with hot water. Pour in sugar so that it sticks to the insides of the mate gourd. Into this place one burning ember of charcoal and rapidly shake it around so as to "carmelize" the interior in all parts! The flavor will endure for an entire mate drinking session. Recharge your mate in this manner as often as you like.

Your wood mate gourd.(style)

Sudden temperature changes cause the mate gourds made of algarrobo, and particularly palo santo, to have a tendency to crack or break when they dry.

--It is necessary to rinse them several times; beginning with warm water until gradually finishing with water which is almost boiling.
--The wood can release resins or oils and the water could turn a brown color in certain cases, which is why this process must be continued until the water is clear.
--The first two mate sessions should be done with water at a medium temperature, not too hot, and the temperature must be increased gradually.
--In between “mate sessions” it is good to fill the mate gourd with fresh water and leave it at room temperature, after it has been used and cleaned.
--Some people simply leave the yerba in the mate until the next “mate session”. The risk in doing this, is that if it is left for too long, relative to the temperature and humidity in the environment, it can cause problems with the formation of mold.
--A “criollo” way of curing the “palo santo” mate gourd (superior flavor) is with butter. Impregnate the interior of the mate gourd with butter and leave for a whole day. During that day, add a second coat of butter.
The second day, rinse well, and fill with half to three quarters with new yerba and add hot water. Leave another full day. The third day, the same process with the yerba and hot water. The fourth day, it is ready to be used.
According to those who have tried this process, the possibility of cracking is strongly reduced.