In the vast southern United States, surrounded by the everyday, lies a secret – the native tea plant, Yaupon. Once the most popular caffeinated beverage in the Americas, it’s a piece of history ignored by many. While tea conquers the world as a booming industry, Yaupon’s story remains hidden, waiting to be unveiled. Why did this native gem, which once posed a threat to the British East India Company, fade into obscurity? Let’s explore the mystery of Yaupon, the forgotten tea of North America.
Yaupon: Nature’s Native Energy Elixir
The magic of Yaupon (pronounced yō-pon), a holly bush native to the southeastern United States and the sole caffeinated plant indigenous to North America. Once known as “cassina” by the Timucua tribe and later called “black drink” by Spanish explorers, Yaupon thrives along the Atlantic Coast and the Gulf of Mexico, from Virginia to Florida and all the way to West Texas.
Dr. William Merrill’s research at the Smithsonian Institution unveils Yaupon’s rich history. Almost every Native American tribe living among this shrub consumed it. The leaves, when picked, roasted, and boiled, create a yellow to dark-orange elixir with a delightful fruity and earthy aroma. This unique brew offers a smooth flavor with malty undertones. Engineered for both mind and body, Yaupon leaves boast an ideal mix of caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline. Immerse yourself in Yaupon’s world, where a slow release of these stimulating compounds brings jitter-free mental clarity and a soothing experience for the stomach.
Yaupon Today: A Hidden Gem in Your Backyard
In rural and suburban America, the unassuming Yaupon, recognized by its dense green leaves and vibrant red berries, thrives. Found in forests, along coastal islands, and even as a charming ornamental bush in neighborhoods, Yaupon remains a well-kept secret. Surprisingly, very few are aware that this plant can be brewed into a delightful beverage. Uncover the fragmented history of Yaupon, a native tea forgotten in the annals of North American history, as its mystique and international acclaim slowly come to light in the present day.
Yaupon’s Ancient Roots: A Sacred Brew Through Time
In the early origins of caffeinated drinks worldwide, a connection with spiritualism and medicine emerges. Coffee’s journey began in Ethiopia during the 9th Century, spreading as a means for Sufi religious devotees to stay alert during extended worship sessions. Similarly, according to Dr Chung Yang of Rutgers University, tea in China started as a medicinal concoction, evolving into a popular beverage during the Tang and Song Dynasties (roughly 618–1279AD).
Yaupon, a holly bush, played a parallel role for Native American tribes like the Creek, Timucua, Chitimacha, Choctaw, Chickasaw, Cherokee, and Apalachee, among others. Archaeological evidence from the Cahokia Mounds in Illinois dates back to 1050AD, revealing yaupon’s residue in ornate ceramic vessels. While consumed daily for energy, yaupon held a profound association with purification and featured in exclusive men’s rituals, involving fasting, drinking, and vomiting for bodily and mental cleansing.
Yaupon’s Global Influence: From Rituals to International Sip
Dr. Anna Dixon, an ethnobotanist and medical anthropologist from the University of South Florida, highlights yaupon’s role in Native American decision-making. Consumed before significant choices, yaupon aimed to purify minds for clear decision-making. Although lacking emetic properties, historians speculate occasional herb mixes for inducing vomiting or the sheer volume consumed on an empty stomach might have caused vomiting.
Yaupon found its way into European lives during southern U.S. exploration and colonization. In Saint Augustine, northern Florida’s Spanish outpost, it was so popular that botanist Francisco Ximenez, in 1615, noted that a day without yaupon felt life-threatening to a Spaniard. Dr. Charles Hudson, an anthropologist at the University of Georgia, records yaupon’s widespread growth, consumption, and trade during the American Revolutionary War. Sold as South Seas Tea in London and served in Parisian salons as Apalachine, yaupon’s international success faced a decline.
Yaupon’s Rise and Fall: A Sweet Alternative Shunned
In the late 1700s, German botanist Johann David Schöpf, in North Carolina, noted yaupon’s popularity as a naturally sweet alternative to traditional black tea. The British East India Company, threatened by its rise, influenced England to restrict yaupon’s importation into Europe in the 1780s. In 1789, botanist William Aiton, under King George III’s appointment, controversially named it Ilex vomitoria. Aiton’s naming, whether reflecting ritual use among Native Americans or a political move to safeguard English tea trade, created lasting fears of side effects.
By the mid-1800s, yaupon faced a decline in the US, associated with poor rural communities unable to afford traditional Chinese tea. Its connection to Native American communities weakened as tribes were displaced to non-yaupon regions. Despite persisting in ceremonies among tribes like the Cherokee and maintaining popularity in North Carolina’s coastal areas, yaupon’s memory faded by the 1860s, growing incognito for nearly 150 years.
Yaupon’s Rediscovery: A Tale of Two Entrepreneurs
In 2011, Texan Abianne Falla, surveying her family’s farm post-drought, noticed vibrant yaupon bushes amid a parched landscape. Simultaneously, Floridian Bryon White, hiking through coastal forests in 2014, encountered the resilient plant. Independently researching, they unveiled yaupon’s potential not just as a caffeinated drink but as a central character in a forgotten narrative.
“I just couldn’t believe that nobody knew about it,” expressed White, captivated by yaupon’s history. Realizing the challenge of brewing with no guidance, he turned to colonial diaries from Dr Hudson’s yaupon volume for instructions. White experimented with roasting techniques. Similarly, Falla, discovering a knack for creating a delicious nutty flavor, initiated Catspring Yaupon in 2013 (Austin, Texas), while White founded Yaupon Brothers in Edgewater, Florida, in 2015.
Today, yaupon gains popularity through various startups promoting this historic beverage.
Yaupon’s Resurgence: Transforming Ignorance into Enthusiasm
In 2016, when Lost Pines Yaupon debuted at Texas farmers’ markets, co-owner Heidi Wachter recalled the initial perplexity of customers. Heidi and partner Jason Ellis, refining their yaupon expertise through at-home experiments, noticed locals recognizing it as landscaping but unaware it was tea. Once tried, customers returned weekly, craving more.
The demand for yaupon surged across the US, prompting the foundation of the American Yaupon Association (AYA) in 2018. AYA connects enthusiasts and ensures the industry, rebounding rapidly, honors its past ethically. With success comes responsibility, offering a chance to rectify historical exploitation seen in other caffeinated beverages. Today, AYA’s small-scale farmers and entrepreneurs harvest, roast, and sell over 10,000lb of yaupon annually, promoting sustainability and acknowledging the beverage’s indigenous roots. Yaupon, once a symbol of erasure, now stands as a testament to resilience and correction.
Yaupon’s Ethical Renaissance: Stewarding Tradition and Community Values
Yaupon’s Ethical Renaissance: Stewarding Tradition and Community Values
In embracing eco-friendly practices, Yaupon Brothers collaborates with organizations to champion indigenous rights and involve them in the yaupon trade. Catspring Yaupon, committed to social responsibility, initiates a rehabilitative employment program aiding at-risk individuals. Similarly, Lost Pines partners with Texas conservation groups to harvest wild yaupon, promoting biodiversity and mitigating forest fire risk.
Falla, co-owner of Catspring Yaupon, acknowledges, “We understand that we didn’t invent yaupon, but we hope to be stewards, sharing a beverage and its communal values cherished for thousands of years.” Their dedication reflects a commitment to honoring tradition while fostering environmental and social well-being.
Read More: The mythos of drinking tea: What makes it essentially British?