yerba mate tree
organism / organism-ilex-paraguariensis
マテチャノキ / Ilex paraguariensis
Yerba mate tree is a holly-family tree native to South America. Its leaves and twigs are roasted, dried, and aged to make yerba mate.
Photographs (captions in Japanese)
マテチャノキ（Ilex paraguariensis）の枝葉と花。ファイルページのキャプション「the source of Yerba Mate」に基づく。
写っているもの: Ilex paraguariensis部位・状態: 枝葉と花
写真: Dick Culbert (Gibsons, B.C., Canada)／ CC BY 2.0／ 原画像／ 台帳の原画像
写真の範囲と来歴
被写体の確認: 原典の記載による同定。
掲載画像: リサイズ・トリミング・色調変更なし。Wikimedia Commons のオリジナル画像をそのまま使用。 表示用には幅1200px上限のWebPを配信し、台帳の原画像は上のリンクから確認できます。
On this page (8 sections)
Reading the bitterness
The yerba mate tree (Ilex paraguariensis) is a holly-family tree native to South America. Its roasted, dried, and aged leaves and twigs become yerba mate. A 2007 review defines mate as 『an infusion made from the leaves of the tree Ilex paraguariensis』. A 2024 study describes preparation in greater detail and says that the most common way to serve the finished leaf material is to pour hot water over it (usually 65–95℃) and drink through a straw.
However, cases have been reported in which species cannot be determined from the ingredient label alone on commercial mate products. Among the products compared in a 2024 study, 1 was labeled as derived from Ilex paraguariensis but proved to be the related species Ilex guayusa. The paper limits this finding to the single product verified and says it does not show the rate of mixing or mislabeling across the market as a whole, while pointing out that names or product labels sometimes cannot establish the source plant's species.
A 2025 review cites earlier research to introduce the mate lineage 'Cambona-4' as having high yield and stress resistance as well as reduced bitterness and a 'mellow flavor'. The same review, again citing earlier research, describes regional differences in preferences for aged leaves: younger mate is preferred in Brazil, whereas in Argentina and Uruguay aged mate is preferred for its enhanced flavor and reduced bitterness. It also says that aging does not substantially change the amounts of bioactive compounds themselves but promotes chemical changes that improve aroma and reduce undesirable volatile compounds.
The same review summarizes the caffeine content of a 500-milliliter mate beverage as about 78–196 milligrams, depending on extraction conditions, and says that caffeine contributes to its characteristic bitterness as well as to the beverage's stimulating and thermogenic effects. This amount is generally less than the about 95–200 milligrams in a standard 240-milliliter cup of filter coffee.
Sources for this overview
Checked for this overview: Checked the review's description of mate as an infusion from Ilex paraguariensis leaves.
Checked for this overview: Checked the roasting, drying, and aging steps and the common method of brewing with water at 65–95℃. / Checked how 1 surveyed product was determined to be Ilex guayusa and the limitation that this cannot be extended to the whole market.
Checked for this overview: The introduction of the reduced-bitterness lineage Cambona-4. / The description of regional differences in bitterness preferences associated with aging. / The mention of caffeine content and bitterness in mate beverages.
Follow the connections
yerba mate infusion →is prepared from→ yerba mate tree
yerba mate tree →— composition→ caffeine →is a poor universal prototy…→ bitterness
Structured claims — open a section to read each claim's confidence, evidence and limits
Composition and content (1)
Scope: Layer: Literature (review summary). Includes variation by extraction conditions, origin, and processing method.
Show data
organism-ilex-paraguariensis —has_composition→ compound-caffeineSensory (1)
Scope: Layer: literature (the review cites Correa et al. 2017 when describing the lineage's characteristics).
Note: Secondhand citation (the original Correa et al. 2017 was not read).
Show data
organism-ilex-paraguariensis —has_perceived_bitterness_affected_by→ "The mate lineage 'Cambona-4' is recorded in a review as a lineage characterized by high yield and stress resistance as well as 'smooth flavor' (a mellow flavor) with reduced bitterness."How processing and cooking change it (2)
Scope: Traditional South American preparation method
Show data
ingredient-yerba-mate-infusion —is_prepared_from→ organism-ilex-paraguariensisScope: Layer: literature (the review cites Isolabella et al. 2010; Montiel 2012 for this general tendency).
Note: Secondhand citations (original sources not read). The different directions of regional preference (Brazil versus Argentina and Uruguay) are retained.
Show data
organism-ilex-paraguariensis —has_perceived_bitterness_affected_by→ "The review states that preferences for aged mate leaves differ by region: in Brazil younger mate is preferred, whereas in Argentina and Uruguay aged mate is preferred for its enhanced flavor and reduced bitterness. The review also says that aging does not substantially alter the amounts of bioactive compounds themselves but promotes chemical changes that improve aroma and reduce undesirable volatile compounds."