“What if you were surrounded by tea and didn’t know it?”
That simple question sits at the heart of a recent feature by the BBC—and it’s one that resonates deeply with our own journey.
We were honored to be included in the BBC’s exploration of yaupon: an overlooked, deeply storied plant native to the southeastern United States. While many people know yaupon today as a common landscaping shrub, its history reaches far beyond hedges and backyards.
A Plant With a Hidden Past
As the article notes, yaupon was once one of the most widely consumed caffeinated beverages in the Americas—long before coffee or imported tea became dominant.
For those who know what to look for, that history is still present:
Yaupon grows abundantly across the Southeast
It is the only caffeinated plant native to North America
Its leaves were traded across vast distances and valued for both daily and ceremonial use
What makes yaupon remarkable is not just where it grows—but how easily it has been overlooked.
“For those who know what to look for, what was once the most widely consumed caffeinated beverage in the Americas comes from a plant growing in plain sight, ignored by most, but deeply rooted in history and intrigue.”
A Careful Revival
In recent years, yaupon has begun to return to the limelight. Several companies rediscovered the plant and its history, including CatSpring Yaupon alongside others such as Yaupon Brothers, Yaupon Wellness Company, Local Leaf, and Lost Pines Yaupon.
Through experimentation and dialogue, these producers worked to understand not only how to prepare yaupon, but how to do so responsibly.
When picked, roasted, and brewed, the leaves yield a tea described in the article as:
“A yellow to dark-orange elixir with a fruity and earthy aroma and a smooth flavor with malty tones.”
But the revival of yaupon also comes with responsibility.
Honoring What Was Lost
As the BBC article thoughtfully acknowledges, yaupon’s disappearance is tied to a broader history of violence, displacement, and erasure of Indigenous traditions. Any modern sharing of yaupon must engage with that reality honestly.
Producers sought out tribes and tribal elders to better understand and honor yaupon’s traditions—looking for ways not only to share the beverage, but to support the communities that stewarded it first.
In 2018, the American Yaupon Association (AYA) was founded with the goal of:
- Responsible engagement with yaupon’s history
- Sustainable practices for growers and producers
- Ethical collaboration across the emerging yaupon community
As one voice in the article reflects:
“Yaupon is a sad symbol of erasure, and I hope that in trying to revive it we can offer a way to remind people of what’s happened and create a little bit of correction. We have a chance to do it the right way.”
Our Role as Stewards
We’ve always been clear about one thing: we didn’t invent yaupon.
As our co-founder Abianne Falla shared in the article:
“We understand that we didn’t invent yaupon, but we hope that we can be stewards—to share a beverage and its communal values that have been enjoyed and respected for thousands of years.”
That sense of stewardship continues to guide how we grow, harvest, and share yaupon today.
Looking Forward
Yaupon’s story doesn’t end with its past. It also carries a future shaped by science, sustainability, and intention.
The article highlights yaupon’s unique blend of naturally occurring compounds—caffeine alongside theobromine and theophylline—which release slowly into the body and contribute to steady, jitter-free clarity.
As the BBC describes it:
“As if orchestrated specifically for the mind and body, yaupon leaves’ perfect ratio of stimulating xanthines release slowly into the body, providing a jitter-free mental clarity and an ease to the stomach.”
Read the Full Story
We’re grateful to the BBC for approaching yaupon with depth, nuance, and care—examining not only its flavor and chemistry, but its cultural weight and future possibilities.
We encourage you to read the full article, Yaupon: The Rebirth of America’s Forgotten Tea, and explore what it means to be surrounded by tea—and finally see it.
