The Forgotten Tea

[kje54]

Cassina, otherwise known as Yaupon Tea had been used for centuries in the Americas before the arrival of the Europeans. It was the primary caffeinated drink for the early southern colonists introduced to them by the native Indians and made a brief resurgence during the War between the States. I know it's grown in Texas and was available to the trappers who visited Nuevo Mexico and the Anglo settlers who moved to Tejas. The plant grew along the coast form Virginia all the way around to Mexico. It has a much maligned history, with evidence shown that the maligning may have been done on purpose to protect the East India's tea trade.
So if you're doing early to mid southern colonial or early 1800s southwest fur trade and migration you might have had more access to Yaupon tea then coffee or Chinese tea.

The Forgotten Drink That Caffeinated North America for Centuries

 

[tenngun]

Very good. I had read the name but have never had it that I recall. The name sounds Chinese to a non Chinese speaker like myself I thought it a tea that’s just fallen out of style.

 

[George]

Good link, thanks. Other plants were also used for tea. Here's an account from "Travels in the Confederation, 1783-1784", Johann David Schoepf, translated from the German and edited by Alfred J. Morrison, 1911. Schoepf was chief surgeon of the Ansbach regiment of the Hessian troops in America during the AWI. Once the war ended he traveled through the country making observations of the people, the culture and about the botany and zoology of the areas he covered.

"A domestic tea is prepared from the leaves of the Red-root (Ceanothus americana), which is really not bad to drink, and may well take its place along with the inferior sorts of Bohea tea. Jonathan Plummer in Washington county on the Monongahela during the war prepared himself more than 1000 pounds of this tea, and sold it for seven and a half to ten Pennsylv[ania] shillings the pound. His method of preparation he kept secret ; probably he dried the leaves on or in iron-ware over a slow fire. By better handling, more careful and cleanly this tea could likely be made greatly more to the taste than it is. At the beginning of the war, what with general prohibitions and the enthusiastic patriotism, the importing of Chinese tea was for some time rendered difficult, and attempts were made everywhere to find substitutes in native growths ; this shrub was found the most serviceable for the purpose and its use is still continued in the back parts. Along the coast this patriotic tea was less known and demanded, but it will soon banish from many houses in the mountains the foreign tea which is now become cheaper. The use of tea is everywhere quite common."

Spence

 

[tenngun]

I’ve drank lots of sassafras and grew up with Mormon tea. Stuffs out there to drink... but I likes my coffee

 

[kje54]

I’ve drank lots of sassafras and grew up with Mormon tea. Stuffs out there to drink... but I likes my coffee

In the morning I typically drink a third of a pot of coffee, during the summer months I drink iced coffee in the afternoon.

 

[Capt powder]

There is lots of yaupon trees here along the outerbanks and was a staple until early 70s. Alot of history with yaupon in the early times