Yaupon "Black Drink"

I love yaupon. Its use in Xeriscape landscaping—landscaping using very little additional water—is so vital in drought-striken Texas in this day and age.

The beauty of yaupon, its resistance to lack of water, and the fact that to my knowledge it is the only caffeine-containing plant in North America, make it valuable on so many levels. It grows in clumps and is pretty difficult to transplant, but when it takes hold, it is lovely.

The photo with this blog is a picture of several yaupon clumps in my front yard backed by trees. They are over 15 feet high.

As you can see, we live in yaupon heaven. In a previous blog, I shared a recipe for yaupon tea—very similar to green tea. If you would like a sample, please contact me.

Here’s another recipe a reader sent in for the very strong “Black Drink.”

•   Scorch or parch the yaupon leaves by heating them in a skillet until browned/blackened, approximately 2–3 minutes.
The leaves will pop (like popcorn!) and sizzle. Store the leaves in an airtight jar until ready to use.

•   To make the tea, boil about 2 cups of water with ½–1 cup of scorched/parched yaupon leaves (depending on desired strength).

•   Boil until the water is dark brown or black in color. Turn off heat and allow for some cooling. Serve hot.

Here are two websites that talk about this drink:

http://www.smokymountainnews.com/issues/9_01/9_25_01/back_then.shtml

http://www.uihealthcare.com/depts/medmuseum/galleryexhibits/naturespharmacy/ilexvomitplant/ilexvomitoria.html

You can even buy a book about yaupon tea called Black Drink: A Native American Tea, edited by Charles M. Hudson. The tea’s history in the Americas is given in a series of essays. It sounded so intriguing I just ordered it. I’ll share it with you all later.