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Yaupon

Wikipedia: Ilex_vomitoria 
Last Updated: Aug. 21, 2013 

About Yaupon

Large, light brown, thick chunks or flakes of leafBroken, roasted yaupon leaf.
Yaupon, also called cassina, is a species of caffeinated holly native to North America and related to Yerba Mate and Guayusa, both of which are native to South America. Yaupon is the only plant native to North America which is used to produce a caffeinated drink.

Currently Yaupon is not commercially cultivated on a large scale. Three companies to do so are Yaupon Asi Tea, based in Florida, and Cat Spring Yaupon Tea and Texas Yaupon Tea, both based in Texas.

The scientific name of Yaupon is the unappetizing-sounding Ilex vomitoria. This name is historical, due to a potentially uncertain association between Yaupon and the black drink, a drink of unknown composition that was long thought to be made of Yaupon, which was consumed in large quantities by native Americans in a ceremony that involved ritual vomiting. Yaupon tea alone does not induce vomiting, and the black drink may have contained other herbs that do.

The name cassina can refer to both the plant and the drink, and derives from the name for this plant in the Timucua language. The Dahoon Holly (Ilex cassine), another holly native to the southeastern U.S. is also called Cassena, usually spelled differently, is closely related and was also used for similar purposes.

Yaupon as a plant

Bluebird, with gray-blue back and reddish breast, perched in branches with small, dark green leaves and bright red berriesAn Eastern Bluebird in a weeping Yaupon holly tree, a horticultural variety of this species. Public domain photo by Ken Thomas.
Yaupon is the most cold-hardy caffeinated plant, naturally growing in regions colder than the tea plant, and able to be grown significantly farther north and in significantly colder areas than its native range.

It is more popular as a landscape plant, with at least six horticultural varieties available, including ones with weeping, dwarf, and columnar habits.

Like other native plants, when planted in or near its native range, Yaupon supports native wildlife like the Eastern bluebird pictured on the left.


Recent Yaupon Reviews — RSS rss icon

95 / 100
Picture of Light, Loose-leaf

This is really great tea! I love that it's grown natively in the United States. It is full of flavor and very satisfying, and it doesn't go bitter even with a long steep time. In fact, partly because of the fairly long steep time of five minutes, I was expecting to only get one or two really good cups out of it -- but ...

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70 / 100
Picture of Light, Loose-leaf

I love the smell of the dry leaf of this stuff...it has a potent and very pleasant aroma, similar to Yerba mate and Guayusa but unique. I find it much more pleasing!

Upon brewing, I don't like the taste quite as much. It tastes peppery, and the yerba-mate-like sweetness is more of a background flavor. The aroma i...

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80 / 100
Picture of Dark, Loose-leaf

I finally got to try Yaupon, and this was the first one I tried! I was excited! I liked it, and I thought this batch was on par with some of the better examples of mate, and the only batch of guayusa that I've tried (the closest thing I have to compare it to).

Aroma of the dry leaf and brewed cup is vaguely remini...

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90 / 100
Picture of Texas Yaupon Tea (Loose Leaf)

I have been drinking this tea for the last 6 months. It has become my favorite caffeinated beverage. Now that it is summer in Texas, I have been drinking Texas Yaupon Tea iced, too.

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Top Reviewers

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1Reviewer icon Alex Zorach220
2Reviewer icon Grammy Nette110
3Reviewer icon Brytta Sóþword110

Review 2 teas to get on this list!

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Most-Rated Yaupon

Picture of Light, Loose-leaf

Light, Loose-leaf

Brand:Cat Spring Yaupon Tea
Style:Yaupon
Region:Texas, United States
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
2 Ratings
Picture of Texas Yaupon Tea (Loose Leaf)

Texas Yaupon Tea (Loose Leaf)

Brand:Texas Yaupon Tea
Style:Yaupon
Region:Texas, United States
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
1 Rating
No image of this tea

Dark, Loose-leaf

Brand:Cat Spring Yaupon Tea
Style:Yaupon
Region:Texas, United States
Caffeine:Caffeinated
Leaf:Loose
1 Rating

Top-Rated Yaupon

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