the Yerba Mate Tea Gourd

Do you find that either the artisan (with the springs) or the standard bombillas work better/last longer?

The longest lasting bombillas are in fact the bombillas which do not open. Next most durable are those with the spring-end (photo at right)or the slide end. Bombillas con roscas (screw-end) are the most typical and relatively the most likely to wear out--their threads becoming worn after time. As for the spring-end bombillas: the only moving mechanism besides the compressing of the spring is the solid "bail" which has the bottom "plug"--and these are very durable. Ours of many years has yet to fail--though our screw-end bombillas of many years have worn and the bomba will now screw past the stopping point some degrees (though still usable). On our German silver screw-end models we supply spare bombas just for the purpose of refurbishing these models.

I have the distinct impression that the North Americans tend to sway toward the openable and cleanable--and to wish to clean them more often--than the original South American yerba mate tea drinker. This also may have more to do with their greater desire to make good on their investment by keeping it clean.

Any ideas about the best bombilla?

Yes. Please feel free to e-mail us with further questions