Our Organic Yaupon comes to us from Cat Spring, Texas where it is wild harvested and certified Authentic Produced by American Indians. Yaupon is the only naturally caffeinated plant native to the United States. Its leaves are used to create an organic herbal tea that brews up a light pale yellow, with an aroma of grassy meadow, lime zest and a distinct freshness. Unlike other yaupon on the market, our organic yaupon is not smoked or roasted. We refer to it as “green yaupon.” Its smooth herbaceous brew has notes of olive oil, oregano, meyer lemon and a mineral tang that coats and lingers on the palate.
Yaupon was enjoyed for centuries, originally consumed and traded by Native Americans, until the tradition was lost. Sisters Abbianne and Jenna Dee are reviving the tradition in Texas by wild harvesting this indigenous leaf on their family land. Before it is picked, the sisters celebrate that it has “only been touched by sunshine and rainwater.” As a result, this yaupon has a very low water and carbon footprint, making it a great alternative for those looking for a caffeinated cup grown closer to home!
Ingredients: organic USA yaupon
Origin: Cat Spring, Texas, USA
Cat Spring, Texas is situated between Austin and Houston, and though the town itself is quite small (population: 76), it is teeming with native yaupon. The sister team that started CatSpring Yaupon returned to their family land to cultivate and form a deeper connection with this little, yet powerful plant. Not only does CatSpring employ sustainable wild harvesting practices they also realize sustainability is about more than just the land. It’s about people, too. That’s one of the reasons they created their “People First” employment initiative to provide dignified employment opportunities in underserved communities. CatSpring Yaupon works directly with probation officers in their rural community to identify individuals exiting the criminal justice system to hire as harvesters, offering meaningful work as a springboard to their next step in life. Additionally, they work with women who have a history of generational poverty in their packaging facility.
Steeping Instructions
At Arbor Teas, we believe tea should be brewed to suit your personal taste. We’re happy to make recommendations to get you started, but don’t hesitate to experiment! When brewing your tea, your main considerations are tea quantity, water temperature, and steeping time. We recommend herbal and rooibos teas to be steeped for 5 to 7 minutes in water heated to a full rolling boil. For the best flavor, use fresh water whenever possible, and avoid overboiling. If you want a stronger brew, just use more tea. And don’t forget to re-steep your tea leaves to get the most out of your leaf!
"I almost get a buttery, grassy taste, I also love that it’s grown in the US!"
Lea
"Tastes fresh and grassy, with lightly lingering sweetness, great iced at a summer picnic!"
Health Benefits
Yaupon is slowly making its way back into the tea scene. Consumed for hundreds of years as a healthful beverage by the Native Americans, Yaupon's most recent comeback has also brought a new wave (that is still in its infancy) of Western-based research studying its health benefits. Yaupon contains antioxidants and caffeine, with levels similar to what is found in yerba mate. Yaupon also contains polyphenols which can have anti-inflammatory and chemopreventive effects.
For more information about the health benefits of Yaupon and other types of herbs, and for direct sources of the above information, check out our Health Benefits of Herbal Tea page!
Please note: the information above is for educational purposes only and has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Customer Reviews
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I've heard of this stuff as it's the only plant native to the continental US to have any significant caffeine content I decided to brew it "mate style" and it's a familiar taste, like an unsmoked stem free yerba. The cut on this is very large so don't expect to pack a beautiful mountain but this means its very filter friendly and does not give you a fist hit full of "scoobs". I could only explain the flavor as "like banana in cereal" but in the best possible way, where it had a dry toasty base with a soft fruity flavor too. I like this stuff, the taste is good and it's going in my caffeine rotation. Also the energy boost when prepared mate style is nice, seeing how yaupon has just under 1% caffeine by weight it isn't going to knock your socks off, it will make you alert and jitter free. I really hope producers try things like smoked yaupon, and do some different cuts similar to yerba/erva as the fine dust could help in packing longer lasting gourds.
5
Yaupon tea
Posted by Georgene Sink on 14th Jun 2022
Extremely special; very refreshing. Four of us tried it for the first time the other night. All delighted; none could say just why, but I reordered immediately.
5
The perfect balance to regular tea
Posted by Tom on 10th Feb 2022
When you've worked your way "up" enough for a day or two with regular tea, and you want to "go sideways", keeping the focus and energy, but letting the caffeine buzz recede, this is perfect. Instead of making you feel "jacked", it tends to make you feel "sensible and balanced". Hard to describe. An "adaptogen", perhaps, and very useful when you don't want to just keep "pushing". I like to alternate a green tea day with a yaupon day. It's a wonderful cold-water tea. Pour water over it, switch the infuser to another cup (just let it hang damp), and go back and forth as you work. You get a silly number of rich, dark, tasty steepings out of a small serving. Yaupon is an ilex (holly), which makes it kin to yerba mate and guayusa, but less jangly. If you like the taste of yerba mate (or "off-road" herbal teas, in general), then you're in for a treat. Yaupon's natural range is the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The quality of the Arbor offering is excellent (but, of course, you knew that :).
5
Yerba Mate Fans Should Give This One a Go
Posted by Nicola on 27th Aug 2021
Though not noted very much on this page, I found yaupon to be reminiscent of yerba mate in flavor, but with its own unique character. A bit grassier and slightly more citrusy, any curious mate fan should definitely try this uniquely American variation.
4
Fun, but not strongly flavored
Posted by Lou on 21st Jul 2021
It was really neat to try this tea, as I'd never even heard of yaupon before. It has a pleasant green, slightly citrusy flavor, though I think this would work best in a blend, either with traditional camellia sinensis or with herbs and fruit to give it a bit more character. It has a nice kick of caffeine that for me was comparable to a strong green tea.
4
Bang, bang!
Posted by Kara on 15th Aug 2020
I just woke up from not enough sleep and wow, this tea started my morning with a bang. I feel ready to take on the day now. I’m surprised I had never heard of yaupon before since we Americans are caffeine fiends.
5
Green Yaupon
Posted by AbiAbi on 13th Jul 2020
Wow! Woke me right up! Flavor is good too :) Might switch from Coffee & Mate' for a while. Will not make the mistake again of drinking this after 7 IN THE MORNING either! NO caffeine jolt... just a very clear head & energy. Got a lot of gardening done today. Many thanks to the CatSpringsSisters!
4
Yaupon very good for blending
Posted by David Green on 16th Jun 2019
I'm not that crazy about this Herbal tea by itself. I really enjoy mixing it with Sencha Green tea 50/50.
5
New surprise
Posted by Yen Wen on 22nd Oct 2018
The subtle lemony taste is quite pleasant and it's a good change for my taste buds. It's like a light cup of wake up tea if anyone is tired of strong brew. I think it can go with breakfast. It's easy to drink I and I can even like it without sweetener.