BALIBETOV Yerba Mate Gourd Set – Original Natural Handmade Yerba Mate Cup from Argentina, Includes Mate Tea Cup, Bombilla (Mate Straw) and Cleaning Brush, Traditional Mate Cup Gift Set

As expected!!!

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 was looking forward to receiving this nice-looking mate gourd but am very disappointed in that $19.99 plus shipping is a lot to pay for a defective mate gourd that that leaks from the bottom! What makes it even worse is that I contacted the seller to let them know of the problem, and they're completely ignoring me. Update: the seller never did respond to me, but Amazon did the right thing and refunded both the cost of the product and the shipping cost. Kudos to Amazon! You have always done right by me whenever there’s and issue with an order. To the manufacturer, you really need to rethink the way you treat (or mistreat) your customers.

The gourd smells amazing, nice color, and small, perfect for holding with one hand. But it has one issue. The metal rim on the gourd is not watertight, thus if you fill it up too much, it leaks from it but other than that this gourd is great for the price, easy to clean, and very easy to handle while it’s hot.

Must have!

It’s so small and the metal rim has sharp unfinished edges that can cut you But still useful

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.

Buen producto

Bonne, bonne

Belle qualité

Viel kann ich nicht berichten, da sich jemand diesen Becher gewünscht hat und ich ihn nur bestellt habe. Auf jeden Fall gäbe es nichts zu bemängeln und die Person ist super zufrieden. Sowohl mit der schönen Optik, als auch mit der Verarbeitung. Ich darf daher "im Auftrag" fünf Sterne vergeben ;)

La verdad que estaba un poco escéptico con respecto a comprar un mate por aquí, pero dadas las circunstancias no tuve otra opcion. Hoy luego de recibirlo, puedo confirmar que fue una gran decisión!!! El tamaño justo de calabaza, color marrón oscuro y muy bien cuidado, la bombilla de un tamaño y calidad (a simple vista) muy buena, el detalle metálico muy bien logrado. Ahora me faltaría un posa mate de alambre. Estoy en proceso de curado desde ya hace 3 días y esperare uno más. sin embargo las instrucciones no estaban en la caja como aquí anuncian. Es un pequeño detalle que para aquellos que no saben como hacerlo, le vienen de mucha ayuda. En fin, muy contento con la compra.

Excellent quality!!! Fast delivery! Use it daily!