The only known plant native to the United States which produces caffeine, the leaves of the evergreen yaupon make a delicious tea.
While there are multiple ways to prepare the leaves for extracting their goodness, we prefer to roast the leaves before using them for tea. While this is much more work than other methods, the bolder flavor and more pleasing color of the end product is well worth the effort.
Speaking of effort, here’s a detailed breakdown of our process:
We wild-harvest limbs from trees at different locations around our property, as both the flavor and the caffeine content can vary based on the amount of sunlight the holly receives. This allows us to blend leaves for a more consistent product.
After the limbs have been harvested, we then carefully hand-select the healthiest leaves – leaves without damage or discoloration.
Once selected, the leaves are placed into a sifter, thoroughly rinsed and left to dry for several hours.
At this point, we carefully place the leaves into cast iron and place over a fire, occasionally stirring the leaves with a cedar stir stick. While roasting, we’re looking for dark grayish-green colors to develop and the aroma of baked bread with hints of apple.
Once we’re happy with the color and aroma of the leaves, we remove them from the fire and allow them to cool.
When adequately cooled, we then carefully place the leaves into packets for distribution.
If you’d like to get your hands on some of our tea leaves, please visit our product page: https://pinewoodcornertx.com/products/yaupon-tea/