More About Yaupon Tea

To the Editor:

I enjoyed the recent column (Postum & Porch Swings) in the March 5 Record—especially the part about yaupon tea. It’s not surprising your wife was reluctant to try it. The Latin name of the plant is Rex vomitoria. It’s a misnomer — at least as far as tea made from the leaves is concerned. The best authorities will say yaupon tea is no more likely to cause vomiting than coffee or the common black and green teas of the Camellia sinensis tea tree, and I (like you) have verified that for myself.

Yaupon is one of two ilex trees that grow in Central Texas. The other is Rex cassine (sometimes called dahoon). Both are of the holly family and both have red berries that are said to be poisonous. Using the berries is probably what gave tea from the leaves a bad rep. So remember, unless you want to throw up, do not use the berries in making your tea.

By far the most common of these species in Central Texas is Rex vomitoria—our common yaupon holly tree. It can be easily distinguished by the tiny serrations in the edge of its leaves. Yaupon holly is easily shaped into a hedge and makes a great evergreen landscape shrub. It can also be left to grow into a beautiful 20- or 25-foot tree. For the sake of wildlife, we leave as many acres intact as we can of the natural yaupon thickets. They make an unbeatable privacy screen.

Yaupon is the source of the ceremonial black drink of American Indians and as such was (is?) sacred to some tribes. If beauty is sacred, yaupon should be sacred to everyone.

Tea from Rex vomitoria is sometimes called cassine (cassSEEN-ney), which is confusing since it is not from the Rex cassine tree. But the name has a long history, so we are perfectly correct if we call our yaupon tea cassine or cassina.

The stimulants in cassine are caffeine (same as in coffee and Camellia sinensis tea) and theine (same as in chocolate). Cassine made from the Rex vomitoria is said to be stronger than that from its sister tree. Neither has any tannin, so cassine does not have the bitterness of coffee or black tea. I prefer cassine to coffee or black tea for that reason and because it is smoother—no jitters.

If you don’t have time to roast your own yaupon tea leaves, you can buy a variety of roasts and flavors packed in ready-to-brew tea bags from Amazon. Or if you want good quality locallyroasted bulk cassine, check out an Austin company called Lost Pines Yaupon Tea.

Dewain Belgard

Carmine