Maté
4 fragrances with this note
Part of accords: Green, Aromatic, Tea, Green herbal
- Latin name
- Ilex paraguariensis
- Family
- Holly family (Aquifoliaceae)
- Origin
- Argentina, Paraguay, Brazil
- Parts used
- dried leaves
- Raw materials
- maté absolute
- Extraction
- solvent extraction
- Olfactory group
- green, aromatic
- Position in the pyramid
- heart
- Synthetic substitutes
- hay and tea bases
Maté is an evergreen shrub or tree of the holly family that grows in South America. Its dried leaves are brewed into a drink popular across the region, and for perfumery an absolute is obtained from them.
How it smells: herbal, hay-like and slightly smoky: dry leaves, green tea, tobacco, hay and a light bitterness. Maté sounds natural and warm, like dried grass on a sunny day.
In perfumery maté gives a warm green accord — less fresh than green tea and less sweet than tobacco. It is loved in modern herbal and woody compositions, where it adds naturalness.
What it pairs with: with tobacco — “herbal tobacco”, with vetiver — dry green compositions, with bergamot — fresh herbal ones, with sandalwood — creamy greenery, with mint — lively “South American” fragrances.
Good to know: maté is traditionally drunk from a dried gourd through a metal straw with a filter — the bombilla — and is often passed around among friends.
