Bud in Fla
Veteran Member
Anyone else wonder what they're going to do when we can't get our coffee/caffeine fix anymore? Years ago I lived near "Yaupon Beach", NC but just recently discovered what a Yaupon is. The Yaupon Holly is the only native N American plant that produces caffeine. It grows all over the SE US and I saw where someone has them in CommieFornia, too. Indians used it for ceremonies but apparently they over did it to the point of puking -
I tried it and it's pretty good. It makes a green tea - not like black tea or even close to coffee but it's still caffeine -
Less than 80% - full article here - Yaupon, a native Florida tea, is making a comeback. - UF/IFAS Florida Small Farms
"yaupon can be grown with little maintenance in the way of fertilizers. Irrigation is necessary only during crop establishment, as the tree is very drought tolerant. Yaupon is also salt and frost tolerant, as well as pest and disease free; pesticides are rarely needed"
Look up Yaupon Bros Tea to buy the tea to sample. They also sell the plants. I planted mine yesterday.
gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu
Yaupon Holly Tea
Matt Palumbo, a UF botany master's graduate, cooks yaupon holly branches prior to steeping them in hot water to make a beverage. UF/IFAS Photo by Tyler Jones.
Enjoying a warm cup of coffee or tea provides many a gardener with a jolt of energy to start their day. What if you could grow your own caffeine-rich tea leaves right in your own back yard? Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria) is a native Florida shrub that makes a great tea alternative.
Now, don't be scared off by the word "vomitoria" in its scientific name. It comes from yaupon tea's historical association with purifying rituals where copious amounts of tea were consumed to induce vomiting. This should not deter the interested gardener; when consumed in moderate amounts, the tea will not cause intestinal distress.
Not only can yaupon tea give you a caffeine boost, this tasty tea can also give you a boost of antioxidants. Researchers at UF focused on the yaupon variety 'Nana' and found that the leaves had the same antioxidation potential as blueberries and as much caffeine as Asian green tea.
Antioxidants aren't the only similarity between Yaupon tea and green tea; both can have a greenish color when brewed. Using fresh leaves will produce a green tea while using roasted leaves will produce a darker brown tea. As such, there may be some variation in how your tea looks, depending on how you prepare the leaves and how long you steep them.
It's important that you only brew tea from Ilex vomitoria, as there are a number of native holly plants and many of them are not safe for consumption. Also, remember whenever you try a new food to go slowly and make sure that you aren't allergic to it.
I tried it and it's pretty good. It makes a green tea - not like black tea or even close to coffee but it's still caffeine -
Less than 80% - full article here - Yaupon, a native Florida tea, is making a comeback. - UF/IFAS Florida Small Farms
"yaupon can be grown with little maintenance in the way of fertilizers. Irrigation is necessary only during crop establishment, as the tree is very drought tolerant. Yaupon is also salt and frost tolerant, as well as pest and disease free; pesticides are rarely needed"
Look up Yaupon Bros Tea to buy the tea to sample. They also sell the plants. I planted mine yesterday.
Yaupon Holly Tea - Gardening Solutions - University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
The leaves of the yaupon holly can be brewed to make tea, on your solution for Florida-Friendly gardening from the University of Florida's Center for Land Use Efficiency.
gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu
Matt Palumbo, a UF botany master's graduate, cooks yaupon holly branches prior to steeping them in hot water to make a beverage. UF/IFAS Photo by Tyler Jones.
Enjoying a warm cup of coffee or tea provides many a gardener with a jolt of energy to start their day. What if you could grow your own caffeine-rich tea leaves right in your own back yard? Yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria) is a native Florida shrub that makes a great tea alternative.
Now, don't be scared off by the word "vomitoria" in its scientific name. It comes from yaupon tea's historical association with purifying rituals where copious amounts of tea were consumed to induce vomiting. This should not deter the interested gardener; when consumed in moderate amounts, the tea will not cause intestinal distress.
Not only can yaupon tea give you a caffeine boost, this tasty tea can also give you a boost of antioxidants. Researchers at UF focused on the yaupon variety 'Nana' and found that the leaves had the same antioxidation potential as blueberries and as much caffeine as Asian green tea.
Antioxidants aren't the only similarity between Yaupon tea and green tea; both can have a greenish color when brewed. Using fresh leaves will produce a green tea while using roasted leaves will produce a darker brown tea. As such, there may be some variation in how your tea looks, depending on how you prepare the leaves and how long you steep them.
It's important that you only brew tea from Ilex vomitoria, as there are a number of native holly plants and many of them are not safe for consumption. Also, remember whenever you try a new food to go slowly and make sure that you aren't allergic to it.
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