Hey guys!
Have you ever asked yourself why we cure the mate? Maybe you are asking yourself, how can I do to cure it? In this blog we are going to introduce you into the importance of curing mate and how to do it.
Nowadays there are many offers of mates that we can find both in the local and international markets. Ceramic, wood, silicone, gourd mates and a couple more. This post deals with the latter.
It is common that when buying a mate they tell us “it is a virgin mate, it is necessary to cure it”. Keep reading what we tell you.
Before jumping into the point, we recommend you to visit our blog of how to serve the best mate to become an expert in drinking mate.
¿Why we cure the mate?
Curing the mate means leaving it ready for use. This causes the internal pores of the container to be sealed, so that the flavor of the virgin mate does not invade the flavor of the yerba and, as a consequence, modifies the flavor of the infusion. This is the main difference with the other mattes that are on the market, since being made of non-natural materials, they are not porous and therefore do not need any curing.
So, how do we cure our mate?
There are many ways to cure mate, but we are going to teach you how to do it in the same way that we recommend to our clients and friends. It is a very simple technique and it is the one generally used in Uruguay. Before starting, it is important that you know that the curing process is not an instantaneous one, but takes several days.
Now, let’s get to work!
Materials: Used yerba, new mate and patience.
The first and foremost thing is to rinse the inside of the mate with warm water. It is important that you do not add any other product such as soap or detergent. This modifies the result and changes the taste. Next, you have to place the yerba that you have used in another mate, when you have stopped drinking it. This yerba is going to stay there for 24 hours.
When the 24 hours are fulfilled, we replace the yerba del mate, with one that is in equal conditions as the previous ones (used and wet). We repeat this process at least 3 more times, each time 24 hours apart.
After 3 or 4 days, we remove the yerba, rinse it with warm water and that’s it! Ready to use!
If it’s your first mate, don’t worry, the procedure will be the same but with new yerba. The only difference is that when placing the yerba in the mate, you must add warm water so that the effect is the same.
To take into consideration
During this process the color of the gourd changes. Don’t worry! It is completely normal and so it should be. It is a sign that the wet yerba is staining the gourd. But don’t expect the new color to be uniform. It will be more homogeneous as the barley passes.
Once the new mate is in use, it is important that you throw out the yerba every time you finish drinking. Rinse it off and leave it upside down so it airs out and does not generate fungus. An alternative to prevent water from remaining inside is to place an absorbent napkin after you rinse it.
And you? Do you cure mate in another way? Tell us!