The Remarkable Story of Yaupon Tea and Grassland Restoration in Cat Spring, Texas
Abianne Falla, Guest Contributor
It all started with the 2011 drought. For those of you who don’t remember, it was the driest year in recorded Texas history. They say that statewide, we lost over 300 million trees. And here in Cat Spring, Texas, everything looked like scorched earth. Everyone had to sell off their cattle, and we were losing 100-year-old oak trees. The only thing not dying? Yaupon.
Don’t get me wrong. We’ve always known yaupon is tenacious. Most people in our area have spent some time and/or money fighting yaupon growth in their pastures, fence lines, and trails. So the fact that it wasn’t dying was just another count against it.
Curious, we started to do some research—kind of like how you might search, “Why does nothing kill fire ants?” But what we found was shocking—yaupon is the only caffeinated plant indigenous to North America. We import virtually all of our tea and coffee, yet here is something that’s quite literally in our backyard that has caffeine.
And what’s more? According to some studies coming out of Texas A&M & The University of Florida, yaupon has antioxidants comparable to blueberries, polyphenols comparable to tea, anti-inflammatory properties, and acts as a natural cleaner.
Additionally, there was a rich history and legacy of consumption for millenia. Virtually every tribe along the Gulf Coast and up the East Coast to the outer banks had a tradition with yaupon. They even dried and traded it across the continent to Cahokia in modern-day St Louis, Utah, Colorado, and down into Mexico. The first recorded account of yaupon was right here in Texas with the Spanish explorer Cabeza de Vaca in 1542.
So, when we started looking in 2011, why was no one making or selling yaupon tea? I mean, no one . There was no yaupon commercially available, and only some Boy Scout troops and nature walks were even talking about it. And when most of the yaupon’s native drinkers
were eradicated or forced to relocate (yaupon doesn’t grow on many of the reservations in Oklahoma), this incredible tradition was largely forgotten.
Lastly, we all remember the power of the tea trade as part of American history – Boston Tea Party, anyone? At that time, a “yauponer” was a derogatory term that meant you were too poor to afford imported tea. And the scientific name yaupon was given? Ilex vomitoria . While some tribes had a purification ceremony and tradition with yaupon, there were no emetic properties, and many folks drank yaupon daily. Some historians believe Ceylon tea traders employed the Scottish botanist who gave the terrible name at the time.
The yaupon is an incredible and delicious plant with remarkable properties. It’s naturally tannin-free, which means it lacks the astringency or bite characteristic of many imported teas. It has caffeine, theobromine and other alkaloids, which means it provides a super smooth energy and mental boost without the crash. It’s tasty, hot, or iced. It’s packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties and is a natural cleaner—no wonder the Cherokees called it their beloved tree.
And since yaupon never gets on a ship or plane before hitting your glass, it’s incredibly sustainable and locally sourced. Nothing is touching our yaupon except sunshine and rainwater.
We were intrigued, so we started playing around with different preparation methods and took our yaupon tea to farmer's markets. The reception was overwhelmingly positive, and we even had the endorsement of a few highly respected restaurants here in Austin, like Dai Due and Odd
Duck. If these award-winning chefs were willing to put yaupon on their menus, maybe we had something.
Fast-forward over the next decade, and we were one of the first companies in Texas to become Regenerative Organic Certified. As part of this process, we regularly soil test our harvest sites and see in a quantified manner how unchecked yaupon growth is detrimental to our soil.
Cat Spring, Texas should be a Post Oak Savannah with deep-rooted, robust native grasslands defining the landscape. Unfortunately, 95-99% of these native grasses have been eradicated, and yaupon growth runs unchecked throughout these regions. The 30-foot root systems of established native-growth grasslands would limit the yaupon overgrowth, but that’s not the case. The yaupon takes over – depleting the soil, shading out any biodiversity, preventing water recharge, increasing water run-off, and stopping the carbon sequestration these significant grasslands would otherwise be doing.
So what can we do? In 2023, we launched Yaupon AgWorks as the conservation arm of our mission, committed to restoring native grasslands alongside sustainable yaupon harvesting. That summer, we conducted our first pilot program to explore how our harvest operations could coexist with and even enhance ecological restoration. The results showed promise—technically and mechanically, it was within our grasp.
Fast forward to today: we’ve secured a Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) with NRCS and are now actively implementing this groundbreaking model. With the support of partners like the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Wildlife Habitat Federation, we are restoring grasslands across the Post Oak Savannah to the tune of 500 acres over the next three years.
The funding now in place allows us to scale. We’re not just theorizing—this is happening. Our work supports water absorption, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity, and it’s all built around a practical, landowner-friendly model that harvests yaupon while reintroducing native grasses.
The challenges are real, but the potential is extraordinary. We are energized by this momentum and deeply grateful for our partners and supporters. Together, we are transforming landscapes—one Yaupon harvest at a time.
If you have yet to experience this incredible plant, we eagerly invite you to do so. Please visit the CatSpring Yaupon website and try our sample pack, which includes our three staple products: Marfa, Lost Maples, and Pedernales.
We're not just indulging in a delicious brew; we're savoring a piece of history, a commitment to sustainability, and a vision for the future. With each sip, we're not just revitalizing our taste buds but rejuvenating the land beneath our feet. So join us on this journey of rediscovery, one cup at a time, as we toast to the past, present, and future of yaupon tea.