AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:
Your morning caffeine fix could be getting more expensive thanks to President Trump's latest wave of tariffs, set to go into effect this week. Brazil, the world's largest producer of coffee, is being hit with a 50% tariff, and tea is being taxed, too, with 15% tariffs on our biggest tea supplier, Japan, and a 25% rate hitting India, our second largest source.
There is one caffeinated beverage that's not subject to tariffs, though. It's called yaupon, and it's one of the only plants native to North America that contain caffeine. Yaupon has a long history among Native Americans, and it's gained new fans in the past few years. Some of them are now hoping the tariffs could help yaupon go more mainstream. Abianne Falla is founder of CatSpring Yaupon, based in Austin, Texas. Welcome to the program.
ABIANNE FALLA: Thanks for having me.
RASCOE: How and when did this beverage come on your radar?
FALLA: Sure. So I've always known the plant. Everyone in our area in Texas does 'cause Yaupon takes over trails and fence lines. But it wasn't until 2011, which was the driest year in recorded history - I think statewide, we lost something like 300 million trees. And at that time, the only thing that wasn't dying was yaupon. And I was intrigued and just started to do some research. Like, what is it about this plant that makes her so special? Why is she not dying? And also there was this huge legacy of tradition from different tribes along the Gulf Coast.
And at that time, it wasn't commercially available and started to play with preparation methods and started to share it and get feedback. And I took it to some farmers markets in Austin, Texas, and, early days, had a couple of James Beard-nominated chefs who were looking for a local source of tea to put on their menus. And I figured, if these guys are willing to serve it, then maybe we have something.
RASCOE: Where do you harvest the plant? Is it, like, a big farming operation? How does this work?
FALLA: So yaupon is native. It should be here, but it actually is seen as a nuisance in our region, and it's about a 20 million acre problem of overgrowth here in Texas. So we work with landowners and come in and actually do a managed wild harvest.
RASCOE: Well, I mentioned the tariffs hitting coffee and tea. What impact do you think that could have on yaupon 'cause this is 100% American?
FALLA: Right. I mean, my hope is that yaupon gains more traction and more interest, for sure. And I think to have a delicious, sustainable alternative that grows right here that's never on a ship to reach you - I think that's exciting.
RASCOE: So I got to ask you, what does it taste like?
FALLA: The feedback we always get is that it's so smooth, and that's because yaupon doesn't have tannins, and tannins give imported tea that astringency or bite. And so yaupon is naturally sweet, and so it's always clear and never bitter.
RASCOE: I think we've gotten our hands on some yaupon, and we brewed it. I have to say, I'm not a really hot drink person. I'm going to try this iced. But I'm going to try this.
FALLA: Oh, I'm excited about this (laughter).
RASCOE: OK, this is straight, not sweetened. We going to stir it a little bit. Let's get a little bit. Interesting.
(LAUGHTER)
RASCOE: It tastes like tea. It tastes like tea. It tastes green. I don't know what that means. It tastes a little green. OK.
FALLA: (Laughter).
RASCOE: Now, this one is sweetened. OK, this is sweetened. OK, I can see that. I can - this is very smooth, and I feel like it's very refreshing.
FALLA: I love it.
RASCOE: Why do you think yaupon hasn't become more popular around the country? Is it the expense, or is it that people just haven't heard of it?
FALLA: I think it's that people haven't heard of it. And what's interesting is, you know, basically, some historians believe it was more widely consumed than tea or coffee a couple centuries ago.
RASCOE: Oh.
FALLA: But if you look, the native growing region is the Trail of Tears, right? And so with the forced relocation and eradication of a lot of the native drinkers - for example, I'm a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation, and we had a tradition with yaupon back in Mississippi, but it doesn't grow on the rez in Oklahoma. And so there's this total loss of tradition, and so it really has just been a complicated history and a forgotten plant.
RASCOE: That's Abianne Falla, founder of CatSpring Yaupon. Thank you so much for being with us.
FALLA: Oh, it was a pleasure. Thank you so much, and thanks for trying the yaupon tea. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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