Today I’ll be reviewing Yaupon Asi Tea’s Timucua Yaupon.
So, I saw these guys at the World Tea Expo. I got REALLY EXCITED. I’ve seen Yaupon being sold on Kickstarter, but not in small quantities for me to sample. For this tea owl, a new kind of tea/tisane = Sign me up!
More information on Yaupon and Yaupon Asi:
- Yaupon is the shoots and leaf off the Yaupon Holly plant.
- Yaupon was consumed by the First Nations (heh, can you tell I’m Canadian?) before battle.
- Yaupon has A LOT of caffeine, at par with coffee with 6 to 10mg per gram.
- This tea is native to the USA, certified organic and kosher.
- The Yaupon Holly is 100% sustainable.
- Yaupon Asi Tea’s Timucua Yaupon is wild grown in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, USA.
- Health Research on Yaupon
Dry Leaf
My Timucua Yaupon has a strong bushy smell – like I’m walking by a freshly trimmed hedge. The leaf is firm, like dried bay leaves.
Steeping Instructions
I steeped the Yaupon in 200F water for 5 minutes, as per instructions given to me from Yaupon Asi. As a tip, I found it best to not overleaf – so stick to a teaspoon per 8oz cup, otherwise the brew is quite strong.
Tasting of Yaupon Asi Tea’s Timucua Yaupon
After 5 minutes, I had a cup of Yaupon brew with a bronze green hue.
Timucua Yaupon sips in light and sweet, developing a stronger flavor as the sip progresses. By end of sip, the flavor has strong lush vegetal grassy notes, creamy and a slight wild herby flavor. The creamy sweet notes remind me quite a bit of guayusa, with the grassy notes similar to mate. Really easy to drink, especially with the Yaupon’s light natural sweetness.
Iced Yaupon: I prepared the yaupon on the strong side with heavier leaf, then poured the steeped tea over ice.
The tea sips in very fresh. Timucua Yaupon iced is thicker with a darker grassy, bushy taste. The finish is a nice creamy sweet, very similar to guayusa. I like the hot version a little more for the lighter flavor, but the sweetness in the iced yaupon is quite nice too.
Comments
If you want a whole buncha caffeine, already love mate and guayusa, you’ll need to try Yaupon Asi Tea’s Timucua Yaupon – you’ll love it! If you are also a grassy green tea drinker, yaupon wouldn’t be a far stretch to enjoy as well, plus you get lots of caffeine and will enjoy a product made in the USA.
I’m curious what kind of blends could be made with Yaupon. I think citrus, peaches and ginger would be fantastic. I have a blend made by Yaupon Asi Tea, but that’ll be another review.
(tea provided for review)
