Yaupon is an amazing ally to human health and wellness and promotes GOOD energy! Yaupon is full of valuable phytochemicals including caffeine (roughly 1%, about half that of a cup of coffee), theobromine (an uplifting gentle stimulant, the happiness "drug" in chocolate), quercetin (anti-inflammatory), and other antioxidants. It's delicious and wild and makes a nourishing and uplifting brew. The northern cousin of yerba maté, yaupon is the only native North American plant to contain caffeine and theobromine – and it only grows wild in Texas and a handful of southern states.

Is yaupon tea really a tea? Yaupon is no more Chinese tea than Chinese tea is American yaupon - they taste alike and offer similar experiences but are from completely different plant families! Imported Tea is from the Camilla sinensis plant and is entirely native to China with the exception of a subspecies from India. North and South America’s “tea” plants including yerba maté, guayusa, and yaupon all come from the Ilex or holly genus. Yaupon and Chinese tea may be similar in constituents but are from different plant families altogether. We say “yaupon” rather than “yaupon tea” (like yerba maté which is never referred to as “yerba maté tea”). Since so many people are looking for yaupon tea on the interwebs we use that term so that you can find us and clarify for accuracy so you can tell your friends!

There are only eight plants on the entire planet to contain viable amounts of our favorite phytochemical caffeine. The small list consists of coffee, tea, cacao, yerba maté, guarana, guayusa, and kola nut - all imported from around the world - and yaupon: the North American plant that only grows in what is now the United States.

YAYAYA's yaupon teas are high in theobromine: a stimulating phytochemical most famously known as the “happiness drug” in chocolate. Theobromine is highly valuable and has been found in peer reviewed studies to effectively improve cognitive function, boost mood, and strengthen bones and tooth enamel. There’s even research that suggests that theobromine may repair tooth enamel.

Yaupon was called "The Drink of Social Wellness" by the indigenous people of North America, nearly the entirety of whom were murdered by European colonizers. Thousands of years of our continent’s history was erased, including nearly all of the historic use and indigenous knowledge of the yaupon plant.

At YAYAYA, we acknowledge the honor that we are tasked with to bring this historic staple back to North American homes, both, to the rightful place at the table, and in the ecosystem where she grows. We are dedicated to building the yaupon industry from the ground up in a way that connects us to the history of the plant, repairs and protects the land, honors the historic peoples, and connects us to each other.

Reach out with any questions, comments or to be a part of this historic movement. We want your voices at our table. Let’s work toward social wellness, together.