My Adventure with Yaupon Holly Tea.

[Emerald]

On another thread recently I accidentally hijacked it by my curiosity of a naturally growing native plant that has caffeine called yapon holly.
While on a google foo jaunt I ran across a website/blog that offered to send me three samples to try and review(and if I like them I hope they sell it) I got the three samples in the mail yesterday and am sitting here waiting for the first one to steep. I have to say that the dried samples smell a lot like green tea to me, a bit more "green" than the green tea in the cupboard but very pleasant.
they sent three samples marked Extra light-Light and Dark.
I am trying the extra light first. ETA: the leaves were cut a bit but some where whole.
The smell of it steeping is very nice and it has a very nice green tea flavor but not any bitter at all. while I could drink it plain I think mixing it with a bit of mint or even some jasmine would really go well. I can see me mixing this with many of the other herbs that I have and some that I grow. it is a pale green tea when it is brewed. I like it a lot. This would make a very nice iced tea too. but it is way too cold here to even try it that way!

OH the name of the site is yauponhollytea.com and they are still offering taste tests if you are willing to send them a review back. which I will be after I taste the other two..
But if this will grow here for me I can totally see me making my own blends and maybe cutting back on coffee.

 

[baymule]

Ok, quit smelling the durn stuff and drink it so you can tell me what it tastes like! I might have to fight the horses off a yaupon bush. Lighting a match to a fresh green yaupon branch is like flaring gasoline. It is a little hard to wrap my head around making tea with it. Let me know if you want a rooted plant, I'll send it to you!!

 

[Emerald]

Ok, quit smelling the durn stuff and drink it so you can tell me what it tastes like! I might have to fight the horses off a yaupon bush. Lighting a match to a fresh green yaupon branch is like flaring gasoline. It is a little hard to wrap my head around making tea with it. Let me know if you want a rooted plant, I'll send it to you!!

I did say!! I have to say that it is quite like a good white tea or a really mild green tea.. not bad at all!! I have about half cup that got put out on the counter cuz the grand kids got here and I forgot where I put it down haha.. and it is really nice cold too!
I'd mix it with chamomile and a bit of mint and maybe some raspberries fresh from the garden for a really nice blend!
I can't wait to taste the other two. I'm am going out on a limb here and saying that they only lightly toast the leaves for the extra light and a bit more for the light and the dark is really brown so they probably toasted them the most..
All the web sites on making tea from it say that you have to toast it a bit to make the caffeine available. so if you drank it just picked off the bush it might not give you that caffeine fix.. lol it maybe could give your "gas" a better light ability! haha..
I would have tried all three but I don't sleep as it is!

 

[CheerioLounge]

Funny that the scientific name is "ilex vomitoria"!

 

[Emerald]

Funny that the scientific name is "ilex vomitoria"!

I saw that and I guess the native Americans made a drink out of it and drank it to sickness to cleanse themselves before ceremonies. it sure didn't make me vomit!

 

[Emerald]

Round 2!
this afternoon is the "Light" the leaves on this are cut up much more finely than the extra light and the color of the tea is deeper green and the smell/aroma is the same as the extra light.. kinda like green tea and a bit more green/grassy.
The flavor is the same as before but it is a bit stronger and a tad deeper/stronger. it is going down well with the big old doughnut I'm having for lunch..
I'd certainly drink this as a morning tea up and into the afternoon and I think it would make an even better ice tea this summer. While I am not into sweet tea this would hold up to a bit of honey or sugar for sure and some stronger tea flavorings like orange peel or lemon or maybe some blackberry. Not sure if I'd add some cinnamon or not to this light tea.
So far I am really liking this tea, when I email them my reviews I will be asking about buying it in bulk in the types I like the best.

 

[baymule]

Ok, so you toast the leaves........... I guess I'll snag some tomorrow when I go feed the horses. Now you have my couriosity up, I have to try this.

 

[Emerald]

Ok, so you toast the leaves........... I guess I'll snag some tomorrow when I go feed the horses. Now you have my curiosity up, I have to try this.

Just don't scorch them. I'm sure that would be icky. I'd say that there was about a good heaping teaspoon of the finely chopped tea in this bag. the other one seemed to have more whole leaves and was about a scant tablespoon.
I'm trying the darker roasted one for breakfast tomorrow as usually the darker the roast the more caffeine is available and I need that first thing in the morning.
I have no idea if you can just make tea with them without toasting them but I am sure you could.
I love tea of all sorts (except one I had at a health fair made with some kind of wood fungus.. I erped that gross old tea for hours) but if you are not a tea person I'm not sure how you would feel about it.

 

[baymule]

I snapped off a small branch and it's on the counter, air drying. We'll see how this goes.

 

[Emerald]

I snapped off a small branch and it's on the counter, air drying. We'll see how this goes.

I forgot about making tea today.. got busy doing stuff.. and it is too late tonight to drink something with caffeine in it.. I'll try to make sure to drink it this weekend for sure!
I want to know how you like it when you brave up and drink it! lol