When the Sons of Liberty dumped over 92,000 pounds of British tea into Boston Harbor in 1773 protest against the Tea Act, patriots knew they wouldn’t abandon their caffeine ritual.
After the Townshend Acts sparked widespread boycotts, the colonists turned to “liberty teas” from native plants like yaupon, North America’s only native caffeinated plant, long cherished by Indigenous peoples in the South.
Yaupon, a hardy evergreen holly from North Carolina to Texas, grows wild and abundant, yet most Americans overlook this homegrown treasure. That oversight may end soon.
Post-Revolution, cheap foreign tea overshadowed it, but today’s tariffs, highest on tea since 1773, could revive yaupon. These bold tariffs on imports, including tea, reminds us of the colonial fight for economic independence, shielding American workers from unfair trade.
America imports millions in tea from China and India, but yaupon thrives here, untaxed and sustainable.Tea industry leaders warn tariffs hurt, as the U.S. isn’t a major tea producer, but yaupon offers a patriotic alternative.
Cultural anthropologist Christine Folch sees this as yaupon’s shining moment amid trade tensions. As she puts it, “The tariffs give us an opportunity to ask really deep questions about who we are and what we bring to the table.”
With a growing push for American-grown products and production, the yaupon industry is poised for growth. A dedicated group of “yauponers” already harvests and produces it, from Texas ranches to Florida farms, poising it for a resurgence.
Yaupon brews like traditional tea, and is currently available bottled at chains like Sweetgreen. Yaupon can be chopped and roasted to suit different tastes, capable of expressing the familiar green and black flavor profiles.
In Texas, CatSpring Yaupon transforms nuisance brush into jobs, partnering with locals for dark and green roasts. They are already seizing the opportunity to brand with a new emphasis that yaupon is homegrown Americana.
Florida’s Yaupon Brothers cultivates rows like yerba mate, harvesting efficiently for scale, and providing a model for other companies to follow.
Crystal Stokes, through her organization Project CommuniTea, educates the Richmond community on the history and benefits of Yaupon. She provides lessons on how to grow yaupon at home, and hope she’ll encourage more people to try the tea for their first time.
Educating consumers remains key, as farmers pivot to teach yaupon history and share its health benefits.
Yaupon adds rural employment, sustains post offices, and replaces imports on menus nationwide. Farmers are excited at the opportunity to resurrect this long forgotten American tea.
CatSpring Yaupon has become so popular that they brought manufacturing jobs back to their rural Texan community, they are sending out so much mail they prevented the closure of their local post office.
As Folch notes, tariffs prompt reflection on American identity and innovation, and creates new markets.
If yaupon surges, it honors our revolutionary spirit. A 250-year comeback for a truly native brew is perfect for this administration’s vision.
