My Adventure with Yaupon Holly Tea.

[Emerald]

Okay. I finally got over this cold(thanks my darling grandbabies ) and have the last tea bag brewing-it is labeled dark and it does taste and smell quite like black tea that everyone is used to drinking. I don't think it is as strong flavored tho but I think you may be able to add more for a stronger brew. The leaves in this one were not cut fine and were more or less just chopped a bit and there was even a tiny stick/stem in there(which from more google foo is acceptable in the tea) I like it and while it would never replace coffee outright it is a fine tea replacement. There is almost a hint of sweet in there too.. not sure if it is the tea or maybe a left over of the toothpaste I brushed my teeth with an hour ago?
but this one could stand up to other stronger flavors like orange and clove to make a copy cat of a tea hubby and I both like Constant Comment.
I'm really hoping that this catches on and becomes more common and that later if I get a plant it can hold out in our colder weather.
Or.. this could become a cash crop for Baymule!

 

[baymule]

Thanks for the reminder, the sprig I got is on top of the refrigerator and is crispy dry. I will have to make tea tomorrow. I will try it first without toasting and just play with it a little. Will let you know how it goes!

 

[Emerald]

Thanks for the reminder, the sprig I got is on top of the refrigerator and is crispy dry. I will have to make tea tomorrow. I will try it first without toasting and just play with it a little. Will let you know how it goes!

I will be here just waiting!! I hope you like it as much as I did.

 

[baymule]

I am drinking my first cup of yaupon tea. I put a teaspoon of honey in it and just crumbled up some leaves. It smells and tastes like hay. I for one, like hay. Not unpleasant, but not WOW! that's great, I want some more, either. I did not toast the leaves. I used 8 leaves, rubbed apart in my fingers. I don't know if I should have used more leaves, so question is, how much is in your teabag? Can you rip one apart and measure the "tea"? And can you post a picture so I can see how dark it is and how fine it is shredded? Please? That might give me an idea of how dark I need to toast it and maybe I should be using more leaves to make my tea.

This could be fun, mixing different things together to come up with a satisfactory tea with a caffiene kick to it! I gotta have my coffee in the mornings and if anything ever happened that I couldn't get my coffee, I would be able to get my engine started on yaupon juice! BYW, it is even growing over on the side of my house and the neighbor next door has a nice bush, (about 12 feet tall, they make small trees) growing in the front of her house.

Finished my tea, not getting that caffiene kick-my-butt-and-get-up-and-DO-something!

 

[baymule]

Duh, just scrolled up and saw where you were drinking your last tea bag. PM me your address and I will dry some more and send it to you. Also, in this link it says yaupon is hardy from 7 degrees. Let me know when it is no longer freezing in your area and I will send a root ball to you in one of those USPS boxes "if it fits it ships". You can at least try it in a sheltered spot, or maybe build a frame over it for a plastic tent and small heater in the winter.

http://www.gardenguides.com/taxonomy/yaupon-ilex-vomitoria/

 

[txcanoegirl]

I was going to post an introduction as my first post, but this is something I have recent experience with!

I have studying which plants in my yard are edible. I have an abundance of yaupon holly, the leaves of which make a caffeine-rich tea. I get a lot of my information on foraging and edibles from Green Dean (eattheweeds.com) and Merriwethers's Texas (foragingtexas.com). For best flavor, the yaupon leaves should be roasted. Here is some specific information at Merriwether's website, which I can't link to because I'm new. You can go to the main page at foragingtexas.com and click on holly-yaupon. BTW...eat/brew the leaves only...not the berries!

On my experiment, I dehydrated the leaves in the dehydrator. The tea I made from them was drinkable, but had kind of a "green" (not green tea) flavor. Not horrible, but not really a great tasting substitute for other teas. I think they would have been better lightly roasted in the oven for a more full-bodied flavor, as suggested in the link I provided. I will try that next.

We drink so much tea around here, that I try to find "free" substitutes. Unfortunately, most of my substitutes are caffeine free, and I'd like to keep a caffeine source. Also in the holly family, the American Holly has leaves that can be made in to tea. Those are caffeine free. Warning...the American holly leaves are very spiny and when dry, are worse than pins! Be careful when handling them!

Jill in southeast Texas.

 

[Denim Deb]

What other plants do you use for tea? I'm all for anything that's caffeine free since caffeine can make me dizzy.

I never knew the American holly (Ilex opaca) had any uses as a food/drink supply. Learn something new everyday! We have a ton of hollies in the woods next to us. What do you need to do for the leaves to prepare them? When's the best time of the year to gather the leaves?

 

[Emerald]

Another txcanoegirl ! -I'll google foo your link soon! thanks for putting it up.. most of them just said to toast the leaves to free the caffeine not really how.
Baymule-each one of the bags had about a tablespoon full I should have weighed them.. and the first two extra light and light were still more of a green color than tan- the dark one was a medium tan color not dark at all. I think the light which was chopped finely made the strongest tea cuz the other two were just lightly chopped.
I'd say that if you toasted them till they were say "light walnut" stain colored and maybe gave them a bit of a whirl in the food processor it may be a better flavor for ya.
me I like chamomile tea which is very very mild and "straw" like in flavor lol. the dark toasted one did have more of a tea flavor.
And maybe we can work out a trade-I have quite a few veggies seeds that are either OP or Heirloom or both!

Denim Deb.. I dried extra red raspberry and black raspberry leaves from the babies that pop up constantly around my main plots. that is a good tea too.. but a tad on the bitter side if you steep it too long. Good for sore muscles.

 

[baymule]

Welcome txcanoegirl!! I'm in southeast Texas too, in Polk county. Have you tried to add other things to the yaupon tea? I'm wondering if a bit of orange peel might give it a little more flavor. We drink a lot of iced tea around here and a free tea would be cool.

I'm checking out the web sites you posted, they look real good. Thanks for sharing!!

Emerald, you have red raspberries babies?? I would love to trade some yaupon rooted saplings for some red raspberry babies. (Ninja yaupon tea drinker tiptoes next door and digs up neighbor's flowerbeds)

 

[Emerald]

Welcome txcanoegirl!! I'm in southeast Texas too, in Polk county. Have you tried to add other things to the yaupon tea? I'm wondering if a bit of orange peel might give it a little more flavor. We drink a lot of iced tea around here and a free tea would be cool.

I'm checking out the web sites you posted, they look real good. Thanks for sharing!!

Emerald, you have red raspberries babies?? I would love to trade some yaupon rooted saplings for some red raspberry babies. (Ninja yaupon tea drinker tiptoes next door and digs up neighbor's flowerbeds)

I have red and purple and yellow and the wild blackcaps(you don't really want them.. they are an invasive stinker in the garden) and they make plenty of babies!!! I'd run out right now and dig up some for ya but it is snowing, snowing, snowing today! just peek at weather channel site at Michigan right now! Holy MOLY! We have had hardly any snow all winter and I think Mother is making up for it this week