Yaupon Holly Coffee

[cnelk]

I’m down in central Texas visiting my daughter SiL and grandkids.

Along their pasture edge they have this tree/bush called Yaupon Holly.

With a little research, I found that it makes a light caffeinated drink, so I had to give it a try.

Picked the leaves, roasted them, steeped with a couple cups of water and strained.

Tell ya what….
It’s not bad!
It has a tea like woody flavor

 

[Neilbob]

Interesting! The scientific name is Ilex vomitoria so I always thought it was poisonous. But looking into it, that was folklore. I’m in east Texas and it’s everywhere so I’ll have to try it.

 

[Blowdowner]

It does give me acid reflux. But it's basically maté.

 

[LostArra]

I think the Grateful Dead drank that before a concert.

 

[naked wombats]

Its the berries that'll make you puke.

 

[WoolOverAll]

South Texas here as well. I prepare mine as a cold drink. Crushing the leaves will help a lot with extraction.

Pick leaves and wash them
Roast in oven
Grind/crush to smaller pieces, similar to whats in a tea bag
Use a similar ratio as green tea/water for cold brewing
Steep overnight on the counter
Use as you would green tea, it pairs well with berry flavors