Volunteer and friend Bernice Rambert strips leaves from pruned sprigs of ‘Schillings’ Yaupon Holly. Behind her, three shade-grown Yaupons grow longer twigs with more space between stems and leaves than Yaupons grown in full sun conditions.
Shade-grown ‘Schillings’ Yaupon Holly grows rangier, with sparser leaves with more open twig and leaf spacing than dense, more-rounded, compact Yaupons grown in full sun. Wither, air dry or oven roast Yaupon leaves to produce long-lasting tea leaves for a stronger black drink, tea, tisane or herbal infusion.
Wash Yaupon leaves in a colander under running tap with cold water. Drain washed leaves on a screen then pat dry with clean linen towels before oven drying and roasting on baking sheets.
Wash Yaupon leaves in a colander under running tap with cold water. Dump onto a screen to drain and then pat dry with clean linen tea towels before oven drying and roasting on baking sheets at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Washed, drained and patted dry Yaupon leaves are ready to dehydrate on screens or in a dehydrator or to roast on baking trays. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roast for 15 minutes, then allow leaves to cool before crushing them.
Bernice Rambert, a Canadian snowbird who winters in Ocala, admires her day’s handiwork. Her fresh-picked Yaupon leaves are bright green. The dry roasted Yaupon leaves turn brownish green. Bernice let the roasted leaves cool then crushed them in a large bowl before storing in airtight bags which were then stored inside dark containers and tea caddies.
Pour boiling water over fresh picked green Yaupon leaves to steep a healthy tea with delicate color, aroma and flavor. Yaupon tea contains antioxidants, caffeine and theobromine alkaloid similar to cocoa plants and Yerba Mate. Do not use a sieve for fun fortune or storytelling.
Tea ceremony to enjoy the fruits of labor harvesting, roasting, crushing and storing Yaupon tea. The tea ceremony warrants Jane’s Granny’s fine heritage Royal Albert china, designed and first produced in 1962.
Tea ceremony to enjoy the fruits of labor harvesting, roasting, crushing and storing Yaupon tea. The tea ceremony warrants Jane’s Granny’s fine heritage Royal Albert china, designed and first produced in 1962.
Volunteer and friend Bernice Rambert strips leaves from pruned sprigs of ‘Schillings’ Yaupon Holly. Behind her, three shade-grown Yaupons grow longer twigs with more space between stems and leaves than Yaupons grown in full sun conditions.
Jane Weber/Special to the Chronicle
Shade-grown ‘Schillings’ Yaupon Holly grows rangier, with sparser leaves with more open twig and leaf spacing than dense, more-rounded, compact Yaupons grown in full sun. Wither, air dry or oven roast Yaupon leaves to produce long-lasting tea leaves for a stronger black drink, tea, tisane or herbal infusion.
Jane Weber/Special to the Chronicle
Wash Yaupon leaves in a colander under running tap with cold water. Drain washed leaves on a screen then pat dry with clean linen towels before oven drying and roasting on baking sheets.
Jane Weber/Special to the Chronicle
Wash Yaupon leaves in a colander under running tap with cold water. Dump onto a screen to drain and then pat dry with clean linen tea towels before oven drying and roasting on baking sheets at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes.
Jane Weber/Special to the Chronicle
Washed, drained and patted dry Yaupon leaves are ready to dehydrate on screens or in a dehydrator or to roast on baking trays. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roast for 15 minutes, then allow leaves to cool before crushing them.
Jane Weber/Special to the Chronicle
Dry roasted Yaupon leaves turn brownish green. Allow leaves to cool, then crush before storing in airtight bags, dark containers or tea caddies.
Jane Weber/Special to the Chronicle
Bernice Rambert, a Canadian snowbird who winters in Ocala, admires her day’s handiwork. Her fresh-picked Yaupon leaves are bright green. The dry roasted Yaupon leaves turn brownish green. Bernice let the roasted leaves cool then crushed them in a large bowl before storing in airtight bags which were then stored inside dark containers and tea caddies.
Jane Weber/Special to the Chronicle
Pour boiling water over fresh picked green Yaupon leaves to steep a healthy tea with delicate color, aroma and flavor. Yaupon tea contains antioxidants, caffeine and theobromine alkaloid similar to cocoa plants and Yerba Mate. Do not use a sieve for fun fortune or storytelling.
Jane Weber/Special to the Chronicle
Tea ceremony to enjoy the fruits of labor harvesting, roasting, crushing and storing Yaupon tea. The tea ceremony warrants Jane’s Granny’s fine heritage Royal Albert china, designed and first produced in 1962.
Jane Weber/Special to the Chronicle
Tea ceremony to enjoy the fruits of labor harvesting, roasting, crushing and storing Yaupon tea. The tea ceremony warrants Jane’s Granny’s fine heritage Royal Albert china, designed and first produced in 1962.
The tea, tisane or herbal infusion brewed from Yaupon Holly’s small, alternate, evergreen, toothed leaves and twigs is not toxic, poisonous or emetic. Yaupon’s scientific binomial name, Ilex vomitoria, is an unfortunate European misnomer for this attractive and useful holly.
Pre-European North American first nations or native peoples called their Yaupon infusion “black drink.” Yaupon black drink is a naturally caffeinated beverage that does not cause vomiting from drinking moderate amounts.
In Saint Augustine in the 1500s, Spanish settlers wrote about drinking black drink, “té del indio” or “cacina.” Native North American people were and are not of Caucasian Indian descent from the subcontinent of India, but are more closely related to people from northeast Asia. Throughout the southeast coastal colonies, British settlers borrowed the Catawba native word “Yaupon” for this caffeinated drink and even exported Yaupon tea back to Britain as a cheaper alternative to Chinese tea (Camelia sinensis). Although Florida’s Timucuan native nation called their black drink “cassena,” Dahoon Holly (Ilex cassine) is an entirely different and non-caffeinated native holly species.
Humans should refrain from drinking gallons of strong potent psychoactive drugs like coffee or other caffeine drinks. Doing so might well cause vomiting. Yaupon Holly leaves and twigs contain antioxidants, caffeine and theobromine alkaloid similar to cocoa plants. Yaupon Holly is the only caffeinated plant native to North America. In South America, the popular Yerba Mate is also a caffeinated drink made from Ilex paraguariensis, a similar species of Ilex holly.
Yaupon cultivars are among the most popular landscape plants throughout the U.S. southeast coastal plain. The tall, tree form Weeping Yaupon is often used as an accent, parking lot and building framing tree. The dwarf Yaupons, including ‘Nana’ and Schillings Holly, are low-growing, dense and have a natural rounded shape that is pruned in more formal gardens or left unpruned in naturalistic privacy screens. Easy to grow, drought and salt spray tolerant, pest and disease resistant, Yaupons are attractive and useful in home gardens, public building landscapes, parking lots and parks.
Almost any Floridian can pick a handful of Yaupon leaves to make green Yaupon tea. Wash the leaves in a sieve under running tap water for about 30 seconds. Shake off excess water then spread the washed leaves on a paper towel to dry. Add a teaspoon full of leaves to a tea-ball strainer or cup sieve. Pour boiling water over the tea leaves in a teapot, teacup or mug and let steep to release the aroma, color, flavor, caffeine and all the benefits of a natural green tea.
A thin layer of fresh Yaupon leaves can be dried in a dehydrator or on horizontal window screens laid behind sunny windows. Dry leaves darken and get crisp. The dry leaves can be broken up then stored in dark, airtight containers for later use.
Noted TV gardener P. Allen Smith has an informative YouTube video and recommends roasting the stripped, washed and dried leaves at 350 degrees in a conventional oven for about 15 minutes. Spread the leaves on a large baking sheet to roast. After roasting, let the leaves cool, then put the dried leaves in a large stainless-steel sieve. Place the sieve over a bowl and break up the dry leaves with fingertips or a wooden spoon. Yaupon tea leaves can be stored in airtight jars or a dark tea caddy to preserve freshness, color and flavor.
Use one teaspoon of dry roasted tea leaves in a strainer sieve or tea ball in an 8-ounce cup or mug. Pour in boiling water and let steep for 1-3 minutes depending on how strong you want your tea. The aroma, color and flavor of dried Yaupon tea are similar to black tea from fermented Chinese camellia sisensis leaves. Yaupon tea is not emetic; however, the drupe berries have a low toxicity to humans if consumed in large quantities. With the two exceptions of caffeinated Yaupon and Yerba Mate teas, most other holly species and berries are toxic to humans. Toxins in other holly species may include illicin, saponic glycosides, and triterpenoids that may cause nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Yaupon does not cause dermatitis or skin rashes.
Gardeners and homeowners can harvest leaves and brew a cup of pot of Yaupon tea any day of the year. Drinking caffeinated Yaupon tea can be a relaxing and a social custom at home. Enjoy the benefits of a nice cuppa tea while maintaining social distance.
Jane Weber is a professional gardener and consultant. Semi-retired, she grows thousands of native plants. Contact her at jweber12385@gmail.com or phone 352-249-6899.
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Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.