Yerba mate
Sweet & rich· tea coffee cacao

What it is
Yerba mate is the dried, ground leaf of Ilex paraguariensis, a tree native to South America, traditionally steeped in a hollow gourd.
What it tastes like
On the nose: wintergreen, grassy-green, rose, floral. Among its measured molecules: 2-undecanol, o-methylanisole, (Z)-2-hexenal, p-Cymene-2,5-dione, trans-2-decenal.
What goes with it
- Blueberryboth carry cis-3-hexen-1-ol, grassy-greencite
- Cilantroboth carry cis-3-hexen-1-ol, grassy-greencite
- Nectarineboth carry cis-3-hexen-1-ol, grassy-greencite
Salt and acid
Salt
Salt not measured yet.
Acid
Acid not measured yet.
Unusual pairings
Pairs the library can cite that almost nobody makes.
- Yerba mate + Pomegranate
both carry cis-3-hexen-1-ol, grassy-green (36 of 338 carry it)
- Yerba mate + Linden blossom
both carry limonene, lemon (126 of 338 carry it)
- Yerba mate + Blueberry
both carry cis-3-hexen-1-ol, grassy-green (36 of 338 carry it)
18 of 80 compounds on file carry a paper the library can cite.
benzaldehydearomaaldehydereads as burning aromatic taste (PubChem)Measured in 54 of 338 ingredients.cite
2.29% relative peak area — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1, row 'Benzaldehyde', column I.pe.M)methyl salicylatearomaesterreads as liquid having the characteristic odor of wintergreen (PubChem)Measured in 11 of 338 ingredients.cite
72.83% relative peak area -- by far the dominant volatile compound in the I. paraguariensis sample, more than double the next-highest concentration recorded for this compound in any other Ilex accession in the study. Text: 'I.pe.M had the highest methyl salicylate content-72.83%' — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1 'HD-SPME-GC/M profile of Ilex spp. volatile compounds', row 'Methyl Salicylate', column I.pe.M)p-cymenearomaterpenoidreads as mild pleasant odor (PubChem)Measured in 42 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.95% relative peak area — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1, row 'p-Cymene', column I.pe.M)1-hexanolaromaalcoholreads as fatty, fruity (PubChem)Measured in 48 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.41% relative peak area — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1, row 'Hexan-1-ol', column I.pe.M)p-Cymene-2,5-dionearomaketoneMeasured in 2 of 338 ingredients.cite
3.83% relative peak area; the paper's PCA found thymoquinone to have 'secondary impact on phytochemical profiles similarity' across the Ilex accessions generally — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1, row 'Thymoquinone', column I.pe.M)beta-pinenearomaterpenoidreads as terpene odor (PubChem)Measured in 55 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.17% relative peak area — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1, row 'β-Pinene', column I.pe.M)2-undecanolaromaalcoholMeasured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.93% relative peak area — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1, row '2-Undecanol', column I.pe.M)alpha-terpineolaromaalcoholreads as floral, lilac (PubChem)Measured in 54 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.18% relative peak area — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1, row 'α-Terpineol', column I.pe.M)2-amylfuranaromafuranMeasured in 23 of 338 ingredients.cite
2.56% relative peak area — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1, row '2-Pentyl-Furan', column I.pe.M)limonenearomaterpenoidreads as pleasant lemon-like (PubChem)Measured in 91 of 338 ingredients.cite
2.13% relative peak area — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1, row 'Limonene', column I.pe.M)o-methylanisolearomaMeasured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
1.18% relative peak area — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1, row 'o-Methyl-anisole', column I.pe.M)nerolaromaalcoholreads as sweet rose (PubChem)Measured in 13 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.57% relative peak area — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1, row 'Nerol', column I.pe.M)cis-3-hexen-1-olaromaalcoholreads as powerful grassy-green odor (PubChem)Measured in 21 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.33% relative peak area; identified elsewhere in the paper's PCA as one of the components with 'secondary impact on phytochemical profiles similarity' across Ilex accessions — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1, row '(Z)-3-Hexen-1-ol', column I.pe.M)2,4-heptadienalaromaaldehydeMeasured in 10 of 338 ingredients.cite
2.67% relative peak area (isomer I) — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1, row '2,4-Heptadienal, isomer I', column I.pe.M)2-OctenalaromaaldehydeMeasured in 23 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.43% relative peak area — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1, row '(E)-2-Octen-1-al', column I.pe.M)2-NonenalaromaaldehydeMeasured in 20 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.81% relative peak area — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1, row '(E)-2-Nonenal', column I.pe.M)trans-2-decenalaromaaldehydeMeasured in 8 of 338 ingredients.cite
2.49% relative peak area — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1, row '(E)-2-Decenal', column I.pe.M)(Z)-2-hexenalaromaaldehydeMeasured in 1 of 338 ingredients.cite
0.28% relative peak area in the I. paraguariensis sample -- notably low compared to most other Ilex accessions in the study (up to 73.80% in I.aq.F6), even though the paper's abstract names (Z)-2-hexenal (alongside methyl salicylate) as 'the most important factor for ascertaining similarity between samples' across the genus generally — Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules (Table 1, row '(Z)-2-Hexenal', column I.pe.M; Abstract)
On file, no cited source yet ✳
These molecules are on record for it from the library's earlier sources. We are buying and requesting the papers; each one that lands moves its molecule up into the cited list.
- ZGNBKNDOCCHRSM-YGWWPGOLSA-Nterpenoid
- OOTPRIVIWDPPAS-STCKBACPSA-Nterpenoid
- O-β-D-Glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→6)-β-D-glucopyranosyl (3β)-3-[(O-6-deoxy-α-L-mannopyranosyl-(1→2)-O-[β-D-glucopyranosyl-(1→3)]-α-L-arabinopyranosyl)oxy]urs-12-en-28-oateterpenoid
- Mateglycoside Bterpenoid
- oleanolic acidacid
- (6E)-(-)-nerolidolalcohol
- (1S,2R,4aS,6aR,6aS,6bR,8aR,10E,12aR,14bS)-10-hydroxyimino-1,2,6a,6b,9,9,12a-heptamethyl-1,2,3,4,5,6,6a,7,8,8a,11,12,13,14b-tetradecahydropicene-4a-carboxylic acidterpenoid
- (4aS,6aR,6aS,6bR,12aR,14bS)-10-acetyloxy-1,2,6a,6b,9,9,12a-heptamethyl-2,3,4,5,6,6a,7,8,8a,10,11,12,13,14b-tetradecahydro-1H-picene-4a-carboxylic acidterpenoid
- 23-hydroxyursolic acidacid
- geranylacetoneketone
- ABYPRQZHTBVDLB-PPCHTBMASA-Nterpenoid
- RDNMQJHSAHTPQN-UIQLTQHBSA-Nterpenoid
- CDWDAIGCOKEKSJ-DSAGUWQASA-Nterpenoid
- ALAOEEYOMPLNBB-NLFXEQJHSA-Nterpenoid
- Chlorogenic acidphenol
- allantoic acidnitrogen compound
- allantoinnitrogen compoundreads as pleasant smelling (PubChem)
- theophyllinenitrogen compoundreads as bitter (PubChem)
- (1S,4S,5R,8R,10S,13S,14R,17S,18R,19S,20R)-10-hydroxy-4,5,9,9,13,19,20-heptamethyl-24-oxahexacyclo[15.5.2.0¹,¹⁸.0⁴,¹⁷.0⁵,¹⁴.0⁸,¹³]tetracos-15-en-23-oneterpenoid
- Nudicaucin Cterpenoid
- ilexoside IIterpenoid
- (R)-Linalyl beta-vicianosideterpenoid
- Lafis-10terpenoid
- N-{3-[4-(3-aminopropyl)piperazinyl]propyl}-ursolamideterpenoid
- caffeic acidacid
- caffeinenitrogen compoundreads as bitter taste (PubChem)
- Mateglycoside Cterpenoid
- Mateglycoside Aterpenoid
- citric acidacidreads as strongly acidic taste (PubChem)
- eugenolphenolreads as odor of cloves (PubChem)
- caprylic acidacidreads as slight odor (PubChem)
- raffinosesugar
- 2-Cyano-2,3-seco-4-yliden-olean-12-enoic acidterpenoid
- 4-aza-A-homo-3-oxo-ursolic acidterpenoid
- Matesaponin 1terpenoid
- Matesaponin 3terpenoid
- Matesaponin 4terpenoid
- safrolereads as sassafras odor (PubChem)
- quercetinflavonoid
- neochlorogenic acidacid
- rutinflavonoid
- kaempferolflavonoid
- 4,5-dicaffeoylquinic acidacid
- alpha-iononeterpenoidreads as sweet-floral odor, reminiscent of violets (PubChem)
- nictoflorinflavonoid
- theobrominenitrogen compoundreads as bitter tasting alkaloid (PubChem)
- trigonellinenitrogen compound
- D-glucopyranosesugarreads as sweet (PubChem)
- sucrosesugarreads as sweet (PubChem)
- geraniolalcoholreads as sweet rose odor (PubChem)
- trans-β-iononeterpenoidreads as warm woody, dry, and fruity odor (PubChem)
- 3,4-dicaffeoylquinic acidacid
- (-)-3,5-Dicaffeoyl quinic acidacid
- Ursolic acid acetateterpenoid
- ursolic acidacid
- Quinic acidacid
- linaloolalcoholreads as spicy, citrus taste (PubChem)
- trans-caffeic acidphenol
- Ziyuglycoside Iterpenoid
- 1H-indolenitrogen compoundreads as light jasmine odor (PubChem)
- 1-octanolalcoholreads as fresh orange rose odor (PubChem)
- Ursonic acidterpenoid
Sources
- Zwyrzykowska-Wodzińska et al. 2025, Molecules