These beautiful, handcrafted gourds are made out of real Calabasas. They are hand painted with hand-pounded alpaca rings. They give a new meaning to drinking yerba mate "authentically." The way these gourds are made is that they are made up of the "bottom" half of the calabash gourds. Most believe that gourds need to be cured, cleaned, and dried after each use. To "cure" or not to "cure" your mate gourd. Curing the gourd makes the gourd more durable and water-resistant. This also helps it become more resistant to cracks and fissures. There is much dispute over whether it is useful to "cure" your gourd or if it just naturally occurs over time. Either way, you will always want to dry your gourd overnight. Dump out the used yerba leaves, rinse out, and then leave upright for the gourd to dry. Not doing this important step, leaves the gourd open to mold.