What is Yaupon?
Yaupon is the only plant with natural caffeine native to this continent. It’s traditionally dark roasted and brewed strong, sort of like coffee.
Where is our Yaupon grown?
Diaspora sources Yaupon from regenerative farms in Florida and Texas
What are the health benefits of Yaupon?
Yaupon is the only plant with natural caffeine native to this continent. It’s traditionally dark roasted and brewed strong, sort of like coffee. It is considered a superfood high in several adaptogenic compounds:
quercetin-rutinoside – may reduce inflammation, reduce allergies and stabilize metabolism
caffeine – about 55 mg per cup
theobromine – “the chocolate molecule”
theophylline – also found in cacao, tea and coffee
theacrine – popular in athletics
Yaupon is high in many antioxidants and low in acid and tannins making it easier on the body than coffee and tea
What does Yaupon espresso taste like?
The flavor includes notes of dark chocolate, oolong tea, barley, coffee and plum.
What’s the best time to drink Yaupon?
Due to the blend of caffeine, theobromine, theacrine and theophylline, the energy boost of yaupon will have a more steady rise and fall than coffee. This means a strong cup at 8 or 9 AM will keep you going until the afternoon. A second cup in the afternoon will keep you energized until bedtime with fewer jitters.
Why haven’t I heard of Yaupon?
When the first Europeans arrived on the coast of modern-day Georgia and Florida, they found the people there drinking yaupon regularly. They started drinking it and shipping it back to Europe where it was enjoyed alongside coffee, tea and chocolate. The British empire’s tea companies feared competition from their new colonies and quickly suppressed its trade. During and after the Revolutionary War, yaupon grew in popularity until the people who grew and roasted it were forcible displaced to Oklahoma.
How much caffeine does Yaupon have?
Yaupon has about 70% the caffeine of coffee. It also has other stimulating compounds making it just as strong as coffee, but with a longer, smoother energy boost.
Is Yaupon sustainable?
Yaupon is naturally occurring across millions of acres of forest from Texas to Florida, and requires no chemical inputs or irrigation to grow. The vast majority of coffee and tea come from monocrop farms requiring huge amounts of toxic pesticides, fertilizers and irrigation.
What else can I do with Yaupon?
Yaupon can be made into bitters for cocktails, infused into butter for baked goods, extracted and dried for an instant yaupon powder…the opportunities are endless.