As a kiddo, we had two yaupon trees in our yard in north Texas and cedar waxwing birds would get inebriated on the fermented berries. They would stumble around the yard, so I was assigned the duty of cleaning up berries to keep them from getting drunk.
Ahhh but have you ever seen a squirrel drunk on a fermented pumpkin? That is beautifully funny. Not to be confused with a squirrel infested with racoons roundworms. That is tragic and heartbreaking.
As a Texan, I knew about Yaupon for a while now. I only recently found out that the decorative bushes outside my house are actually a cultivar of Yaupon Holly. Specifically, they are Ilex Vomitoria "Condeaux". It's the Dwarf cultivar. I've made tea from the leaves, and it's delicious and really energizing.
"...easy to grow..." In my yard here in Austin, TX, it's a WEED! The plants spread via their root system as well as by the berries. It is indeed a totally wonderful tea, though! I dry the leaves and toast/roast them for a bit because I prefer the flavor profile. It's a little darker - not as green.
I am in southern Alabama and I have a never ending battle with the yopon in my yard. It is everywhere and impossible to kill. This house was abandoned for several years and the yopons and nandinas took over. I dig them up and chop them down and poison them and nothing works
I first thought when i saw the thumbnail i thought you were trying coca leaf tea. Yes, THAT coca leaf. I am of Bolivian heritage and have consumed coca tea since i can remember. It has long been used in the Andes for health and ritual purposes. The Native ppl consider it sacred. It is given to foreigners who get altitude sickness as a way to boost oxigenation of the blood n body, and is the BEST for an upset stomach, whether it be from food, alcohol, or otherwise. Logically, people get a "boost" from it and it helps suppress hunger. I do hope you will try it 💚. It is prepared for export n can be found online, or perhaps in VA where you can find a large Bolivian community. HOWEVER... however... it will result as positive on a drug test since this plant is the raw material for cocaine. I MUST emphasize that it NOT cocaine and nowhere near being a narcotic. We are stigmatized unfortunately for using this natural plant. To compare it to cocaine would be analogous to comparing a stalk of wheat to a slice of bread. Between the plant growing n the final product being consumed there have been so many physical n chemical changes that it is absolutely no longer the same thing. I hope you will consider it. LOVE YOUR CONTENT 💕💕💕
I have tasted coca tea and it's a bit stronger than coffee but it does NOT get you high. Sadly there are many restrictions to the export of the leaves outside of their natural environment, she might have trouble getting them or could even get in trouble with the law because authorities are so mis informed
@@perlasmermaid5812 it's not the authorities that are the problem, it's the idiots growing coca plants in the USA to make cocaine instead of smuggling it through the Mexican border. Emmy will have issues with law if she acquires coca tea, since it's illegal in North America, though can be obtained in South America safely.
Ive seen it for sale online... plus ive brought it in in my suitcase (i arrived in miami)... im not talking about loose leaves (tho folks do manage to bring that in, small quantities) ... there are actual boxes of 25, 50 n 100 count teabags, just like Lipton, and they specifically day for export. Granted, i go thru the citizens/residents section in Miami upon arrival and i declared it as just "tea"... i have a bunch here in my cabinet right now, too bad i can't post a pic reply
I absolutely adore this Hard Times series, it's my favorite reason to tune into your channel. Thank you for bringing life to these recipes from another life and time.
Me tooooo!- as an Aussie I’d love to see Emmy try “Damper” eaten with butter and golden syrup!- yummm- traditionally eaten by herders/“cowboys” in the bush/ because it can be cooked on a campfire and made of ingredients that last well and travel well!
I love hard Times series too! Your Poor men meal (potatoes, wustel and onions) became part of our meals! We loved it! Thank you..an Always..EAT THE DOCKY MOSS! 🤣🤣 Kisses from Italy 💋💋
@@huggledemon32 I grew up eating Damper after my Mum's cousin sent us an Oz cookbook when I was a child. She emigrated there from my hometown in Yorkshire, with her newlywed husband in the 1960's on one of the cheap tickets you could get from the British Government. I was a cookbook collector from being about 7, once I'd first learned how to bake. It was a window into a foreign world that was also strangely familiar. I taught the rest of my Guide troop how to make them when we were at Jamboree on year, they taste so good made over a wood fire!
I love yaupon! I'm so lucky to live in an area where it grows like a weed, because it gives me all of the buzz of coffee without the anxiety and digestive issues. My favorite way to prepare yaupon is to strip the leaves by hand (making sure to bruise/tear the leaves in the process), then thoroughly wash and air-dry the torn leaves. While the leaves are still damp, I bake them on a cookie sheet at 350 until they are dry and golden toasty brown. (it smells really good like sweet raisins and oolong tea) I have no idea what this does for the caffeine content but the sweet caramel flavor is definitely worth the effort. I find that brewing it with heat gives it a little bitterness, so I cold brew it in the fridge overnight.
I think it's delicious and am planting some this year. Also, the tea does not stain your teeth. Produces a nice zippy lift without the jitters. You can let the leaves steep a long time without bitterness for a deeper taste. Plants with berries ARE female.
It's sad American education doesn't put emphasis on it because it might offend people to know the history of a country has bad eras. Stretch back far enough, even native tribes have oral history on how they survived a tribal raid or they themselves were victorious in wiping out enemy tribes.
@@jeffreyroot7346 ikr. Yet people are acting as if they're innocent and somehow sprang up with the mountains to claim pieces of land. They were invaders, they were settlers, they were conquerors too. The past was bloody.
@@rickrollrizal2364 and they themselves migrated from Asia originally. The concept you're talking about is known as the idea of the "noble savage", and unfortunately it isn't just Native Americans people attribute that false stereotype about.
@@rickrollrizal2364 They never intended to teach our history. That was that point of the 300+ years they spent trying to erase it. The US Government doesn't do the whole "coexistence" thing.
So Meta, I sit here drinking my medium roast Yaupon Tea watching one of my favorite UA-camrs talking about Yaupon. I have never liked coffee, way too bitter for me, love tea but always hated the bitter aftertaste so I always add too much sugar or honey, with Yaupon there is not bitterness at all. While not sweet, the lack of bitterness makes it delicious without the need to sweet it up.
Thanks so much for posting this! I've had several yaupon hollies in my yard for over 20 years. I never knew I could make tea from them! I'm super focused on making my yard a food garden. You just opened up my sustainable world a little wider. Thanks Emmy and those that contributed to making this video happen!
Yaupon grow like weeds in our area. I have been drinking it for a long time. After drying I prefer roasting the leaves in a cast iron skillet, then grinding and steeping. Flavor is better and roasting enables the brew to extract more caffeine.
My dad's best friend owns a ranch in Texas. He grows yaupon and harvests it and sends my dad huge bags of it in the mail. We drink it together sometimes. I really like it. It benefits from a little sugar but I feel like the yaupon he sends us is roasted or something. Tastes a little more bitter. I will investigate that. But nice to see that you liked it!
If you're using it for a coffee substitute you have to roast the leaves and twigs. That's the traditional method anyway. For the best flavor you need to let it cure for a month or so before roasting.
You can also roast yaupon, thus getting a much darker and richer drink closer to black tea or coffee. Cut new, light green leaves and mash in a mortar and pestle Roast the leaves for 8 minutes at about 300 F, then crumble and brew like black tea.
My son gave me some Yaupon tea from CatSprings tea here in Texas. They had a black and a green version, both very good. It's been awhile since I ran out, and we got VERY into tea, so have had lots of other teas, so I'd forgotten about the Yaupon tea. Thanks for the reminder! (And you have the same teapot we do!) Someone from New Zealand needs to send Emmy a care package of Zealong teas -- they have one of the best black teas I've tasted. We went to the plantation near Hamilton when we were in NZ a few years ago. It's a true tea, and I think all the folks who have actual responsibility for making the tea have been brought in from China. Tea is amazing stuff, maybe you should start a tea tasting series!
As a coffee AND tea drinker, and as someone who is interested in foraging, I find this really fascinating. Thank you for this informative video, Emmy! Thank you for your other videos too. You are a lovely woman.
While the berries are toxic, that is not why it was named vomitoria. Emmy was correct, it is because indigenous people would use the leaves as an emetic and make “black drink” during a special purging ritual, they would brew it extra strong and drink it in excessive quantities until they would subsequently throw up. The ceremony highlighted the importance of spiritual purity and cleanliness before they would attend tribal meetings. The fact that the berries are mildly toxic and can cause nausea as well as other symptoms, is coincidental, as many wild berries do the same thing.
Yupon Holly are very common here is Florida....they use them as hedges and decorative smallish trees....there's even a weeping variety that's very attractive...they even make them into bonsai. I didn't know you could make it into a tea tho.
Older than the Civil War for Floridian settlers. Also you can chew the fresh leaves (bitter as heck) as a caffeine kick. It’s planted as an ornamental (as you mentioned) from Texas to Florida at least so there are many places where you can grab some next to many venues. I’ve weirded out people that way. It used to be sold in teabags as a novelty in Florida a few years ago but I’ve seen none of late.
I was lucky to be in a survey group a few years ago that got to taste test several types of yaupon tea. It can have more caffeine available when it's roasted and it can be bruised and fermented like green teas and black teas and I really enjoyed the different *brews* I think if it was lightly flavored like with earl grey *bergamot* or the lighter leaves with some lemon grass it could become a very very nice product for everyone.
I've seen those bushes all over the place and never knew the leaves could make tea. I was taught to leave them be because the berries are poison. Very interesting! (I'll only try it if I buy the leaves, too scared to poison myself in case I'm wrong about the plant's identity)
I'm shook. I drink an energy drink made from SA Yerba. It's pretty popular at my school. It is the only energy drink I can handle because it just tastes like very light tea rather than the nasty tastes of monster or other western energy drinks
This is really neat!! I live in Northwest Florida, I was always told it was poisonous. Thank you Emmy, and thank you to the people that introduced you to it so that I can now try it also. 💜
I am told that the Indians roasted it and called it “Black Tea”. They introduced it to settlers. I love these vids on hard times. Keep it up you little cutie!
Excellent. We just discovered that the massive shrubbery next to our house is Yaupon. So we'll be trying this this weekend. Thanks also for your excellent economic analysis of the monopoly marketing during the 18th century. Very good. Best wishes. - DaveFer. (PS - We may do this an experiment in our Quarantine Science Lab)
Thanks for sharing *Emmy* I live in North Texas, so I'll be checking this out. Never heard of this, and I have lived here most all of my life. I always end up returning to Texas.
Late to the video, because I just learned about yuapon. But, it's not bitter, because it contains little to no tannin. Supposedly you can use the same leaves more than once.
I need to remember to comment more often! I've been watching for years, since the days of nerunerunerune back in Japan! Love all of your videos and look forward to watching them weekly. Thanks so much for a comforting, educational and kind presence.
Can you please do a video on how to make scrambled eggs? I know it’s a simple dish but mine always turn out bad! I was watching your “What I eat in a week” and your eggs look AMAZING! 😍
As a Native Texan, we used to play in a hedge of these at my Grandparents in Texas. I wish I had known it was edible! We made "salad" with it all the time with mudpies! Lol
Emmy, have you ever had winged sumac (Rhus coplalinum) tea? We learned about it in my dendrology course. The berries taste lemony/citrusy and I have heard the tea is lovely!
As far as I am aware ALL of the red berried sumacs are edible. I have made this "lemonade" from common staghorn and it is delicious, but watch out for the insects, as the tightly clustered fruits are a haven for them. Fun fact: sumac berries can induce lucid or at least very vivid dreams in some people. This has not been properly researched so nobody knows exactly why. I have experimented with it quite a bit and the effect seems to wear off after a few days. Abstaining for a period of time before consuming it again is necessary for it to work again. As the plant is completely nontoxic, I looked into what little is known about its chemistry (nutrients, phytochemicals, etc} and cannot find any substance or combination of substances that can account for this effect. Interesting, no?
I love a good yaupon tea! Had it for the first time last year and it was so much more mild tasting than I anticipated from the smell of the leaves. I was expecting full on grass clipping flavor, but it was very mild and a little sweet. 10/10, would recommend.
same with mushrooms. The Boletus variety is a popular mushroom to pick in poland, however there's one called "Satans Bolete" that when eaten, is incredibly bitter.
Alan Pollock I don't know if you're polish and don't know the word toxic or if you are trying to correct me on my use of toxic. but toxic means poisonous, as it is a general word for poisonous/venomous/noxious etcetera. but anyhow I thought something like "satans bolete" would kill you on the spot. very dramatic lol
@@chromberries7329 I do know the word toxic. I generally don't refer to biological matter as "toxic". But I would use it if it dug deeper into a poisonous plant. For example saying the mushroom is poisonous because it contains a toxic substance. I actually did some digging. There's apparently two mushrooms under the name of Satans Bolete where I live (one of them is Boletus Satanas) that contains a poison that invokes pretty severe gastrointestinal issues, though they're not fatal, they can last several hours. The bitter mushroom, while it's referred to as Satans Bolete (found out it's called a Bitter Bolete in the USA) is actually Tylopilus felleus. Tastes really bitter but ingestion isn't fatal.
Botanical names are determined solely by whomever first published &:described their discovery in a credentialed publication. As a native Floridian, its very common here, & I introduced my Canadian wife to it. Yaupon was the main ingredient in the Seminoles' black drink that was consumed prior to going to war. Nothing like going into battle while on a hyper caffeine jag. It gave rise to the war title 'Hajo' (mad or crazy).
I'm amazed that this didn't catch on in the capitalist utopia of the USA, that brought wealth and freedom threw out lots of parts of the world. God bless you all USA, from the Republic of Ireland. Thank you for helping us indirectly with our freedom and gigantic economic boom from the 1990's to 2008.
u should try guayusa it's from South America and can replace coffee. it's a bit sweet and not bitter at all and it has way more antioxidants than green tea.
The female plants actually have the berries, but you must have a male and a female plant before the berries will appear. We have yaupon and dwarf yaupon in the yard to attract the cedar waxwings in the winter when they migrate through Texas. I knew that native Americans made tea from the leaves, but I have never done so. Maybe I'll get brave and try it.
I just ordered some on Etsy. I hate both coffee and tea (and wine) as I am a tannin super taster so anything with tannin taste sooooo bitter it’s unbearable. This sounds great! Thanks, Emmy!
Rebecca Luce you might like Tulsi tea (aka holy basil tea). If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, they sell it, or of course there’s internet retailers.
That’s interesting! I’d like try this tea since I enjoy earthy and grassy green teas best Also...if enough people say something enough times to enough others...it somehow has a 99%. chance of being”true”. That is a very scary but true fact. Thank you Emmy😘
Wonderful video. I planted some of these shrubs in the yard of the last house I lived in. It grows great in north Texas with little or no care. I plan on putting some around my new house.
Have you ever tried Rooibos (red bush) tea which is a South African indigenous plant? I know it's sold in the USA. It's an aquired taste, but once you adjust to the flavour it knocks all other teas into the shade. I would send you some but I don't have your address.
I ❤ your shirt!!! My grandma used to say that. Where did you get it? Gotta have one. The historical recipes & lessons are my fav although I luvv them all. Thank you.
Once again, another informative and entertaining video. I always want to dive into research after some of these. I am currently in Kentucky and now I want to see if anyone has heard of this and/or if I can get some!
Ok, but like. . i just got an add for the MonteCristo from Cheddar's. And Emmy needs to give it a try if she hasnt already, right? Someone? Anyone? Right? Maybe I'm just hungry
Emmy, did you ever consider making your own tea varieties? Basically most of them are made from the same bush, oolong, green, matcha, Indian, British and others. The trick is how they are steamed, roasted, processed or fermented. Also when the leaves are harvested. You have the patience to produce honey so tea should be an easy project for you?
Emmy...please stop STOP allowing Hello Fresh to sponsor you. This company is ANYTHING but fresh for anyone but their video sponsors,. YOU as an influencer get fantastic food, but the average Joe...not so much. The unhealthy practices in the company facilities would make your head spin as well as make you sick. I have a friend who worked there, and she had to quit because they kept telling employees to reuse old and/or unrefrigerated meat, meat that was dropped on the floor, they will leave vegetables out of the cooler for days...and this is just the start. One person I know had a package left at her home that wasn't discovered for days. She called the company for a replacement and sent the original one back. They merely packed the old food in a new box and resent the same stuff. I love your videos, and I know you have a good heart, and I would hate for someone to take your word on this company and get sick. Just a heads up my friend.
I wonder how toasting the leaves just prior to grinding would effect the flavor? Perhaps that would also make it closer to the flavor of a roast coffe>
Thank you for the information. It was such a surprise to find it in my area. I may aquire it. I don't care much for grass, I wonder if it can be processed to be more like black tea.
@emmymadeinjapan , Your hard times series has made me a loyal subscriber. I really am enjoying it, and am thinking about getting some of those yaupons for our lawn. There's nothing like being able to eat the landscaping. Please, please keep up with this series. Dave
I love finding out what I can eat in my state (VA)!! I spend all summer picking native blackberries and mulberries and am going to be on the lookout for the yaupon plant this winter.
@@k3upikachu I know right ? Our 4 Acres are proving a fair list. Yaupon Tea : Only Caffinated Plant in North America. Yucca: Mormons Tea Wild Spinach Sage Mesquite And a few others
Yaupon is the most caffeinated native American herb, it is not the only one. Cassia for instance has been used as far back as the Hopewell Mound builders, who also used yaupon, in fact the descendants of these ancient Americans living today still do.
Yaupon/Cassina/Asi is the original drink of the southern people from the times before the europeans arrived. The name Ilex vomitoria refers to a practice the Europeans observed among the Southeastern native peoples who were part of the Mississippian cultural realm and southern death cult religion. Yaupon was one of several ingredients (we don't know every single ingredient in this mixture) used to prepare what the Indians referred to as the drink of peace (white drink), which would induce vomitting as part of a ritual purge of the stomach, as a part of the peace making process between tribes, paramount chiefdoms and cities. By itself, Yaupon doesn't induce vomitting, people debate what ingredient actually caused the vomitting reaction (with one book I read referencing Datura root as the vomit inducing ingredient). Ps. While it's called the white drink the drink itself is actually black , hence the name "black drink" given to it by settlers. PSS. Yaupon drinking only fully died out among non Indian southerners a decade or so after the civil war. Thankfully however people (like myself and many other enthusiasts) are trying to revive drinking it regularly PSS. As a sad note: the Hills haya (prophet/priest class of the Muscogee confederacy) once stated that there may come a tragic day in which Yaupon would no longer be consumed as a cultural ritual or religious practice, but as a mere idle pleasure without the ritual chanting associated with it. PSSS: last note: many Muscogee indians would take Yahola (someone who prepared Yaupon) as a title and part of their name. 🙃
Wow! I wonder what other forgotten gems are just maundering in people's backyards! Great video! I wonder how I could get my hands on some of this to try!
Ok so I'm gonna be real honest with you guys. I got really high one night a while ago and found a video making fun of Bronies. I didn't believe the forum the video was making fun of was real so I went and tried to find it because Bronies scare me but eccentric people interest me. And that is how I discovered this channel and I've watched every upload since. Thank you for reading.
Thanks Emmy. I learned something. My aunt lived in a town called Yaupon Beach, NC. I vacationed there but never knew what the name meant. Darn, I could have saved some money on morning coffee. 😂😂😂
As a kiddo, we had two yaupon trees in our yard in north Texas and cedar waxwing birds would get inebriated on the fermented berries. They would stumble around the yard, so I was assigned the duty of cleaning up berries to keep them from getting drunk.
Can you smoke the leaves? I'm not saying that I'm going to smoke yaupon leaves or anything like that...😐
Omg poor birds, but to be honest, I laughed at the picture it made in my mind... cartoon birds drunk under a bush... lol
LOL, sounds like you had a great childhood!
Birds do that in the north too, eating fermented crab apples, etc, and deer eating fermented reg. apples. It's hilarious.
Ahhh but have you ever seen a squirrel drunk on a fermented pumpkin? That is beautifully funny. Not to be confused with a squirrel infested with racoons roundworms. That is tragic and heartbreaking.
I looked it up and you are correct Emmy. The female Yaupon plant produces berries not the male plant
clearly an example of a gender fluid shrubbery
@@scottmantooth8785 love that
@@sinlobo84 thank you
As a Texan, I knew about Yaupon for a while now. I only recently found out that the decorative bushes outside my house are actually a cultivar of Yaupon Holly. Specifically, they are Ilex Vomitoria "Condeaux". It's the Dwarf cultivar.
I've made tea from the leaves, and it's delicious and really energizing.
"...easy to grow..." In my yard here in Austin, TX, it's a WEED! The plants spread via their root system as well as by the berries. It is indeed a totally wonderful tea, though! I dry the leaves and toast/roast them for a bit because I prefer the flavor profile. It's a little darker - not as green.
I didnt know it grew here! Now I need to look it up!
Well I know what I'm planting in my garden next!! It could even be in my yard already and I didn't even know! 😲
I am in southern Alabama and I have a never ending battle with the yopon in my yard. It is everywhere and impossible to kill. This house was abandoned for several years and the yopons and nandinas took over. I dig them up and chop them down and poison them and nothing works
I live outside in bastrop and they’re everywhere, I just made tea for the first time
I first thought when i saw the thumbnail i thought you were trying coca leaf tea. Yes, THAT coca leaf. I am of Bolivian heritage and have consumed coca tea since i can remember. It has long been used in the Andes for health and ritual purposes. The Native ppl consider it sacred. It is given to foreigners who get altitude sickness as a way to boost oxigenation of the blood n body, and is the BEST for an upset stomach, whether it be from food, alcohol, or otherwise. Logically, people get a "boost" from it and it helps suppress hunger. I do hope you will try it 💚. It is prepared for export n can be found online, or perhaps in VA where you can find a large Bolivian community.
HOWEVER... however... it will result as positive on a drug test since this plant is the raw material for cocaine. I MUST emphasize that it NOT cocaine and nowhere near being a narcotic. We are stigmatized unfortunately for using this natural plant. To compare it to cocaine would be analogous to comparing a stalk of wheat to a slice of bread. Between the plant growing n the final product being consumed there have been so many physical n chemical changes that it is absolutely no longer the same thing. I hope you will consider it.
LOVE YOUR CONTENT 💕💕💕
I have tasted coca tea and it's a bit stronger than coffee but it does NOT get you high. Sadly there are many restrictions to the export of the leaves outside of their natural environment, she might have trouble getting them or could even get in trouble with the law because authorities are so mis informed
Does Doctor Rockso the Rock 'n Roll Clown know about this?
@@perlasmermaid5812 it's not the authorities that are the problem, it's the idiots growing coca plants in the USA to make cocaine instead of smuggling it through the Mexican border.
Emmy will have issues with law if she acquires coca tea, since it's illegal in North America, though can be obtained in South America safely.
Ive seen it for sale online... plus ive brought it in in my suitcase (i arrived in miami)... im not talking about loose leaves (tho folks do manage to bring that in, small quantities) ... there are actual boxes of 25, 50 n 100 count teabags, just like Lipton, and they specifically day for export. Granted, i go thru the citizens/residents section in Miami upon arrival and i declared it as just "tea"... i have a bunch here in my cabinet right now, too bad i can't post a pic reply
And thank you @Selene Fernandez for emphasizing that it wont get you high. Thats a misconception that ppl act foolish about
I absolutely adore this Hard Times series, it's my favorite reason to tune into your channel. Thank you for bringing life to these recipes from another life and time.
My pleasure.
Me tooooo!- as an Aussie I’d love to see Emmy try “Damper” eaten with butter and golden syrup!- yummm- traditionally eaten by herders/“cowboys” in the bush/ because it can be cooked on a campfire and made of ingredients that last well and travel well!
I love hard Times series too! Your Poor men meal (potatoes, wustel and onions) became part of our meals! We loved it! Thank you..an Always..EAT THE DOCKY MOSS! 🤣🤣 Kisses from Italy 💋💋
@@huggledemon32 I grew up eating Damper after my Mum's cousin sent us an Oz cookbook when I was a child. She emigrated there from my hometown in Yorkshire, with her newlywed husband in the 1960's on one of the cheap tickets you could get from the British Government. I was a cookbook collector from being about 7, once I'd first learned how to bake. It was a window into a foreign world that was also strangely familiar. I taught the rest of my Guide troop how to make them when we were at Jamboree on year, they taste so good made over a wood fire!
I love yaupon! I'm so lucky to live in an area where it grows like a weed, because it gives me all of the buzz of coffee without the anxiety and digestive issues. My favorite way to prepare yaupon is to strip the leaves by hand (making sure to bruise/tear the leaves in the process), then thoroughly wash and air-dry the torn leaves. While the leaves are still damp, I bake them on a cookie sheet at 350 until they are dry and golden toasty brown. (it smells really good like sweet raisins and oolong tea) I have no idea what this does for the caffeine content but the sweet caramel flavor is definitely worth the effort. I find that brewing it with heat gives it a little bitterness, so I cold brew it in the fridge overnight.
It sounded like she was saying hella fresh everytime lol
I was about to say that exact thing, but thought I should check the comments first. Ha! Hella fresh. Every. Single. Time.
Michelle Ramos if you have the caption on, she says “hella fresh”....and I agree it sounds like she says that.
Real missed branding opportunity for Hello Fresh... they could have been Hella Fresh 😂
@@TheSarahLindy Lol! Right?
100%
I think it's delicious and am planting some this year. Also, the tea does not stain your teeth. Produces a nice zippy lift without the jitters. You can let the leaves steep a long time without bitterness for a deeper taste. Plants with berries ARE female.
I'm flabbergasted. I have yaupon holly growing outside my house and have been around it my whole life and never knew it had caffeine.
Emmy educating us Americans about culture we didn't know we had ♡
It's sad American education doesn't put emphasis on it because it might offend people to know the history of a country has bad eras.
Stretch back far enough, even native tribes have oral history on how they survived a tribal raid or they themselves were victorious in wiping out enemy tribes.
@@rickrollrizal2364 The native Americans were extremely warlike among themselves, just like the rest of humanity.
@@jeffreyroot7346 ikr. Yet people are acting as if they're innocent and somehow sprang up with the mountains to claim pieces of land.
They were invaders, they were settlers, they were conquerors too.
The past was bloody.
@@rickrollrizal2364 and they themselves migrated from Asia originally. The concept you're talking about is known as the idea of the "noble savage", and unfortunately it isn't just Native Americans people attribute that false stereotype about.
@@rickrollrizal2364
They never intended to teach our history. That was that point of the 300+ years they spent trying to erase it.
The US Government doesn't do the whole "coexistence" thing.
So Meta, I sit here drinking my medium roast Yaupon Tea watching one of my favorite UA-camrs talking about Yaupon.
I have never liked coffee, way too bitter for me, love tea but always hated the bitter aftertaste so I always add too much sugar or honey, with Yaupon there is not bitterness at all. While not sweet, the lack of bitterness makes it delicious without the need to sweet it up.
Thanks so much for posting this! I've had several yaupon hollies in my yard for over 20 years. I never knew I could make tea from them! I'm super focused on making my yard a food garden. You just opened up my sustainable world a little wider. Thanks Emmy and those that contributed to making this video happen!
Yaupon grow like weeds in our area. I have been drinking it for a long time. After drying I prefer roasting the leaves in a cast iron skillet, then grinding and steeping. Flavor is better and roasting enables the brew to extract more caffeine.
Her voice is so gentle and calming I totally love her, her personality. Point is, she's the best ever
My dad's best friend owns a ranch in Texas. He grows yaupon and harvests it and sends my dad huge bags of it in the mail. We drink it together sometimes. I really like it. It benefits from a little sugar but I feel like the yaupon he sends us is roasted or something. Tastes a little more bitter. I will investigate that. But nice to see that you liked it!
If you're using it for a coffee substitute you have to roast the leaves and twigs. That's the traditional method anyway. For the best flavor you need to let it cure for a month or so before roasting.
This is what I wanted from the comments, thank you!
No problem. Glad I could help.
You can also roast yaupon, thus getting a much darker and richer drink closer to black tea or coffee. Cut new, light green leaves and mash in a mortar and pestle Roast the leaves for 8 minutes at about 300 F, then crumble and brew like black tea.
I’m a simple man, I see Emmy posts a new video and I drop EVERYTHING I’m doing to watch it.
Emmy's a light in the darkness of the internet 🤗🎇 keep it up gal
My son gave me some Yaupon tea from CatSprings tea here in Texas. They had a black and a green version, both very good. It's been awhile since I ran out, and we got VERY into tea, so have had lots of other teas, so I'd forgotten about the Yaupon tea. Thanks for the reminder! (And you have the same teapot we do!)
Someone from New Zealand needs to send Emmy a care package of Zealong teas -- they have one of the best black teas I've tasted. We went to the plantation near Hamilton when we were in NZ a few years ago. It's a true tea, and I think all the folks who have actual responsibility for making the tea have been brought in from China. Tea is amazing stuff, maybe you should start a tea tasting series!
I live off of a street called Yaupon. I'm going to be on the lookout for the leaves.
JB Cobbs Montrose!!!! I’m going to be doing the same 😆
every time i see something about tea i always think about that one scene in avatar where uncle Iroh calls it hot leave juice
As a coffee AND tea drinker, and as someone who is interested in foraging, I find this really fascinating. Thank you for this informative video, Emmy! Thank you for your other videos too. You are a lovely woman.
The vomitoria in the name refers to the berrys of the yopon holly which do induce vomiting not the leaves
Jon Solsvig That is probably . . . “ the rest of the story “ according to Paul Harvey.
that makes sense...
While the berries are toxic, that is not why it was named vomitoria. Emmy was correct, it is because indigenous people would use the leaves as an emetic and make “black drink” during a special purging ritual, they would brew it extra strong and drink it in excessive quantities until they would subsequently throw up. The ceremony highlighted the importance of spiritual purity and cleanliness before they would attend tribal meetings. The fact that the berries are mildly toxic and can cause nausea as well as other symptoms, is coincidental, as many wild berries do the same thing.
Yupon Holly are very common here is Florida....they use them as hedges and decorative smallish trees....there's even a weeping variety that's very attractive...they even make them into bonsai. I didn't know you could make it into a tea tho.
I so great to hear about crops native to america!
I agree.
I love seeing you branch out into native herbalism !
Older than the Civil War for Floridian settlers. Also you can chew the fresh leaves (bitter as heck) as a caffeine kick. It’s planted as an ornamental (as you mentioned) from Texas to Florida at least so there are many places where you can grab some next to many venues. I’ve weirded out people that way.
It used to be sold in teabags as a novelty in Florida a few years ago but I’ve seen none of late.
I was lucky to be in a survey group a few years ago that got to taste test several types of yaupon tea. It can have more caffeine available when it's roasted and it can be bruised and fermented like green teas and black teas and I really enjoyed the different *brews*
I think if it was lightly flavored like with earl grey *bergamot* or the lighter leaves with some lemon grass it could become a very very nice product for everyone.
I've seen those bushes all over the place and never knew the leaves could make tea. I was taught to leave them be because the berries are poison. Very interesting! (I'll only try it if I buy the leaves, too scared to poison myself in case I'm wrong about the plant's identity)
I'm shook. I drink an energy drink made from SA Yerba. It's pretty popular at my school. It is the only energy drink I can handle because it just tastes like very light tea rather than the nasty tastes of monster or other western energy drinks
This is really neat!! I live in Northwest Florida, I was always told it was poisonous. Thank you Emmy, and thank you to the people that introduced you to it so that I can now try it also. 💜
Imma name my daughter "Vomitoria"
Thanks Emmy!
🤦🏻♀️
You're naming her "Exit" in Latin?
stfu
Poor unfortunate child 😂😂😂
Case Chow LOLL I’m guessing that name would *NEVER* pass the schoolyard name test!! I also think Emmy sounds like more of a great name for a daughter!
I had no idea, thanks Emmy; and thanks Travis (and his Mom) for the lesson and leaves!
I am told that the Indians roasted it and called it “Black Tea”. They introduced it to settlers. I love these vids on hard times. Keep it up you little cutie!
Excellent. We just discovered that the massive shrubbery next to our house is Yaupon. So we'll be trying this this weekend. Thanks also for your excellent economic analysis of the monopoly marketing during the 18th century. Very good. Best wishes. - DaveFer. (PS - We may do this an experiment in our Quarantine Science Lab)
Emmy: it’s going to be a little loud
Blender: -gentle blending-
Thanks for sharing *Emmy* I live in North Texas, so I'll be checking this out. Never heard of this, and I have lived here most all of my life. I always end up returning to Texas.
Stacking wood! Nice.😊
2:07- what the WHAT was that noise?!?
sara seaman Emmy just adding in sound effects for historical food/drink injustices?
A chair scraping across the floor. Children...you know?
I’m watching this with headphones on and it scared me hahaha
Late to the video, because I just learned about yuapon. But, it's not bitter, because it contains little to no tannin. Supposedly you can use the same leaves more than once.
I need to remember to comment more often! I've been watching for years, since the days of nerunerunerune back in Japan! Love all of your videos and look forward to watching them weekly. Thanks so much for a comforting, educational and kind presence.
Can you please do a video on how to make scrambled eggs? I know it’s a simple dish but mine always turn out bad! I was watching your “What I eat in a week” and your eggs look AMAZING! 😍
Amanda Brown watch Julia Child’s omelette video, it changed my whole relationship with eggs!
As a Native Texan, we used to play in a hedge of these at my Grandparents in Texas. I wish I had known it was edible! We made "salad" with it all the time with mudpies! Lol
Great video as always. Feeling inspired to have Yaupon tea at Christmas gathering. Along with ten iterations of peppermint something liquidus.
Emmy, have you ever had winged sumac (Rhus coplalinum) tea? We learned about it in my dendrology course. The berries taste lemony/citrusy and I have heard the tea is lovely!
As far as I am aware ALL of the red berried sumacs are edible. I have made this "lemonade" from common staghorn and it is delicious, but watch out for the insects, as the tightly clustered fruits are a haven for them.
Fun fact: sumac berries can induce lucid or at least very vivid dreams in some people. This has not been properly researched so nobody knows exactly why. I have experimented with it quite a bit and the effect seems to wear off after a few days. Abstaining for a period of time before consuming it again is necessary for it to work again. As the plant is completely nontoxic, I looked into what little is known about its chemistry (nutrients, phytochemicals, etc} and cannot find any substance or combination of substances that can account for this effect. Interesting, no?
I love a good yaupon tea! Had it for the first time last year and it was so much more mild tasting than I anticipated from the smell of the leaves. I was expecting full on grass clipping flavor, but it was very mild and a little sweet. 10/10, would recommend.
I was thinking it would be a bitter like green tea. Thank you for sharing! I'm going to see about ordering some of this.
Did it caffeinate you?
Shannon Pöllmann go for it! I ordered from Yaupon Bros. Tea Co. The lavender coconut flavor was really good!
gardenho69 I would say it’s comparable to a similar sized cup of black tea. Not as much of a jolt as coffee.
@@TheSarahLindy sounds amazing! Thank you for sharing the information!👍
I love how there's always a plant that looks similar to the good plant but is toxic. Nature's trickery on us!
same with mushrooms.
The Boletus variety is a popular mushroom to pick in poland, however there's one called "Satans Bolete" that when eaten, is incredibly bitter.
Alan Pollock but is it toxic?
@@chromberries7329 poisonous? Yeah, it is. Though symptoms are pretty mild. Diarrhea and vomiting if someone actually eats enough of it.
Alan Pollock I don't know if you're polish and don't know the word toxic or if you are trying to correct me on my use of toxic. but toxic means poisonous, as it is a general word for poisonous/venomous/noxious etcetera.
but anyhow I thought something like "satans bolete" would kill you on the spot. very dramatic lol
@@chromberries7329 I do know the word toxic. I generally don't refer to biological matter as "toxic". But I would use it if it dug deeper into a poisonous plant. For example saying the mushroom is poisonous because it contains a toxic substance.
I actually did some digging. There's apparently two mushrooms under the name of Satans Bolete where I live (one of them is Boletus Satanas) that contains a poison that invokes pretty severe gastrointestinal issues, though they're not fatal, they can last several hours.
The bitter mushroom, while it's referred to as Satans Bolete (found out it's called a Bitter Bolete in the USA) is actually Tylopilus felleus. Tastes really bitter but ingestion isn't fatal.
Your food reviews are truly the best! Keep up the great work Emmy! Thanks so much
Botanical names are determined solely by whomever first published &:described their discovery in a credentialed publication.
As a native Floridian, its very common here, & I introduced my Canadian wife to it. Yaupon was the main ingredient in the Seminoles' black drink that was consumed prior to going to war. Nothing like going into battle while on a hyper caffeine jag. It gave rise to the war title 'Hajo' (mad or crazy).
I'm amazed that this didn't catch on in the capitalist utopia of the USA, that brought wealth and freedom threw out lots of parts of the world. God bless you all USA, from the Republic of Ireland. Thank you for helping us indirectly with our freedom and gigantic economic boom from the 1990's to 2008.
u should try guayusa it's from South America and can replace coffee. it's a bit sweet and not bitter at all and it has way more antioxidants than green tea.
Thank you for this. I know I've seen yaupan available at local herb shops, but I've never tried it. Kampai!
I'm allergic 2 holly cant b near any of it...so grateful I can live vicariously through u!!! Rock N eat on Emmy!!! Love watching 😍😍
The female plants actually have the berries, but you must have a male and a female plant before the berries will appear. We have yaupon and dwarf yaupon in the yard to attract the cedar waxwings in the winter when they migrate through Texas. I knew that native Americans made tea from the leaves, but I have never done so. Maybe I'll get brave and try it.
Hey Emmy, I’ve recently been watching videos from the depression era, would love to see another video if you have any. Thanks for all the videos
Emmy your videos are always delightful. Thank you.
This series is getting better and better. Just love it!
Call me weird, but I love to hear her quiet tea-sipping 🥰
I just ordered some on Etsy. I hate both coffee and tea (and wine) as I am a tannin super taster so anything with tannin taste sooooo bitter it’s unbearable. This sounds great! Thanks, Emmy!
Rebecca Luce you might like Tulsi tea (aka holy basil tea). If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, they sell it, or of course there’s internet retailers.
That’s interesting! I’d like try this tea since I enjoy earthy and grassy green teas best
Also...if enough people say something enough times to enough others...it somehow has a 99%. chance of being”true”. That is a very scary but true fact. Thank you Emmy😘
Wonderful video. I planted some of these shrubs in the yard of the last house I lived in. It grows great in north Texas with little or no care. I plan on putting some around my new house.
First Emmy video. She is absolutely delightful!
Glad you discovered yaupon! But you should bake it gently until brown. Then you have a rich nutty flavor in your tea!
Emmy is awesome for helping me with my anxiety. Thank you. Well done Emmy!
Have you ever tried Rooibos (red bush) tea which is a South African indigenous plant? I know it's sold in the USA. It's an aquired taste, but once you adjust to the flavour it knocks all other teas into the shade. I would send you some but I don't have your address.
Stuff is awesome, but doesn't contain any stimulants, which is the point of this video.
I love yaupon! It's great with lemon, too.
Awesome!
It's good with mint too.
I ❤ your shirt!!! My grandma used to say that. Where did you get it? Gotta have one. The historical recipes & lessons are my fav although I luvv them all. Thank you.
Yay! I’m glad you enjoy them. I love learning, too.
P.s. - There’s a t-shirt link in the description.
I wrote a song called toodle oo a long time ago. Maybe you'd enjoy it. ua-cam.com/video/3ObdgdmeLnI/v-deo.html
Theresa Marie i got one!!!
Once again, another informative and entertaining video. I always want to dive into research after some of these. I am currently in Kentucky and now I want to see if anyone has heard of this and/or if I can get some!
The plants are found wild or in your local plant nursery. Very common landscape plant.
Ok, but like. . i just got an add for the MonteCristo from Cheddar's. And Emmy needs to give it a try if she hasnt already, right?
Someone? Anyone? Right?
Maybe I'm just hungry
U have such a relaxed vibe 🌍could listen to you all day !
Can you make anything with Acorns? I've seen coffee and flour online so I'm just curious.
I absolutely love the sinister sound effect you used for the East India Company. Great video as always!!
Emmy, did you ever consider making your own tea varieties? Basically most of them are made from the same bush, oolong, green, matcha, Indian, British and others. The trick is how they are steamed, roasted, processed or fermented. Also when the leaves are harvested. You have the patience to produce honey so tea should be an easy project for you?
Just realized this week that my property is BRIMMING with the stuff, I'm so excited to get at it
Yaupon grows everywhere here in southeast Texas I have a big bush in my yard. The deer also feed on it heavily in the fall and winter.
Mary Duff I'd eat your bush and stack my wood all winter
Justin Lawrence grow up
@@justinlawrence111 😆... I'm an old salty woman so I'm sure Im not your cup of tea lol
I got that meal a few weeks ago and I’ve already re made it several times since then. Not a fan of a traditional grilled cheese but I loved this!
You're videos are so entertaining. You do what hundreds of other youtubers do but you just hit different. 👌
This is the relaxing content I need in my life.
Emmy...please stop STOP allowing Hello Fresh to sponsor you. This company is ANYTHING but fresh for anyone but their video sponsors,. YOU as an influencer get fantastic food, but the average Joe...not so much. The unhealthy practices in the company facilities would make your head spin as well as make you sick. I have a friend who worked there, and she had to quit because they kept telling employees to reuse old and/or unrefrigerated meat, meat that was dropped on the floor, they will leave vegetables out of the cooler for days...and this is just the start. One person I know had a package left at her home that wasn't discovered for days. She called the company for a replacement and sent the original one back. They merely packed the old food in a new box and resent the same stuff. I love your videos, and I know you have a good heart, and I would hate for someone to take your word on this company and get sick. Just a heads up my friend.
I wonder how toasting the leaves just prior to grinding would effect the flavor? Perhaps that would also make it closer to the flavor of a roast coffe>
Pamela Bratton another commenter says he toasts them.
Thank you for the information. It was such a surprise to find it in my area. I may aquire it. I don't care much for grass, I wonder if it can be processed to be more like black tea.
@emmymadeinjapan ,
Your hard times series has made me a loyal subscriber. I really am enjoying it, and am thinking about getting some of those yaupons for our lawn. There's nothing like being able to eat the landscaping. Please, please keep up with this series.
Dave
Your hair looks so lovely in this style :)
@Smurfette Did It - LOL, thank you! We are never too old to have fun 😊
Cool One more Edible plant that does in fact grow in my area.
I love finding out what I can eat in my state (VA)!! I spend all summer picking native blackberries and mulberries and am going to be on the lookout for the yaupon plant this winter.
@@k3upikachu I know right ? Our 4 Acres are proving a fair list.
Yaupon Tea : Only Caffinated Plant in North America.
Yucca:
Mormons Tea
Wild Spinach
Sage
Mesquite
And a few others
Yaupon is the most caffeinated native American herb, it is not the only one. Cassia for instance has been used as far back as the Hopewell Mound builders, who also used yaupon, in fact the descendants of these ancient Americans living today still do.
I woke up from a nightmare and went to UA-cam to distract myself. Emmy saves the day with a calming and really informative video! :)
I absolutely adore your videos! I’m pretty sure I have seen then all!!! Toodaloo, take care, BYEE!!! 🖤🖤🖤
When are you going to publish a book or a DVD of all your hard time foods and recipes?
Out of curiosity, how long does yaupon keep you up? A small cup, brewed only about 2min kept me awake all week. Totally unexpected.
Yaupon/Cassina/Asi is the original drink of the southern people from the times before the europeans arrived. The name Ilex vomitoria refers to a practice the Europeans observed among the Southeastern native peoples who were part of the Mississippian cultural realm and southern death cult religion. Yaupon was one of several ingredients (we don't know every single ingredient in this mixture) used to prepare what the Indians referred to as the drink of peace (white drink), which would induce vomitting as part of a ritual purge of the stomach, as a part of the peace making process between tribes, paramount chiefdoms and cities.
By itself, Yaupon doesn't induce vomitting, people debate what ingredient actually caused the vomitting reaction (with one book I read referencing Datura root as the vomit inducing ingredient).
Ps. While it's called the white drink the drink itself is actually black , hence the name "black drink" given to it by settlers.
PSS. Yaupon drinking only fully died out among non Indian southerners a decade or so after the civil war. Thankfully however people (like myself and many other enthusiasts) are trying to revive drinking it regularly
PSS. As a sad note: the Hills haya (prophet/priest class of the Muscogee confederacy) once stated that there may come a tragic day in which Yaupon would no longer be consumed as a cultural ritual or religious practice, but as a mere idle pleasure without the ritual chanting associated with it.
PSSS: last note: many Muscogee indians would take Yahola (someone who prepared Yaupon) as a title and part of their name. 🙃
Wow! I wonder what other forgotten gems are just maundering in people's backyards! Great video! I wonder how I could get my hands on some of this to try!
This is so cool. I live in Atlanta so I can't wait to pick my own and try it out!
I love it when Emmy finds gems from the new world 😊😊
Charming, informative, and I appreciate the history.
The Powhatan tribes in Virginia drank yaupon tea for recreational and medicinal use
That t-shirt is sooooo cute!! I love the font and the blue and white. I'm getting one!!
Ok so I'm gonna be real honest with you guys. I got really high one night a while ago and found a video making fun of Bronies. I didn't believe the forum the video was making fun of was real so I went and tried to find it because Bronies scare me but eccentric people interest me. And that is how I discovered this channel and I've watched every upload since. Thank you for reading.
Thanks Emmy. I learned something. My aunt lived in a town called Yaupon Beach, NC. I vacationed there but never knew what the name meant. Darn, I could have saved some money on morning coffee. 😂😂😂
Emmy, Do you think the yaupon tea would be good with cream and sugar?