Calabash for Mate Tea is used exclusively to brew this tea from Brazil and drunk throughout South America. Traditionally made of gourd, dried and hollowed out-that is why the size and color may vary-your calabash is unique.
Our calabashes:
- Hollowed out pumpkin with aluminum border, marbled
- Emptied pumpkin with red leatherette and linen decoration, with aluminum border
Maintenance
Since calabash is composed of a dried gourd, a special cleaning and maintenance method must be used:
- Get rid of the yerba in your gourd. Ideally, use our
bombilla spoon
to scrape the yerba. - Now, you will still have some yerba in your noggin. Simply rinse the pumpkin under warm water. As you do this, take the bombilla back and gently scrape along the walls of your gourd.
- Once finished, double-check to make sure there are no leaves in your pumpkin. Take a paper towel and place it inside, pressing it against the bottom and walls of your pumpkin with the bombilla. This will absorb excess water.
- This step is not necessary but it helps. To shorten the drying process a bit more, point a hair dryer at idle toward the inside of the pumpkin, rotating it as you dry. Make sure it is on a cooler setting to avoid damaging your pumpkin. Again, this is optional.
- Store your pumpkin in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area. Placing the gourd on its side allows air and light to flow through, which further prevents mold growth.
- If you have done everything correctly, just wait until it is 100% dry and it will be ready for use again!
Drying time varies among pumpkins.