The leaf
with caffeine.
Yaupon is the only naturally caffeinated plant native to North America. It grows wild from the Texas coast to the Carolinas — and Wild Ration is built on it.
Born in the
coastal South.
Sandy soils. Live oak shade. Salt air and pine. Yaupon thrives in the humid belt that runs from East Texas to coastal Virginia.
- Range
- TX → VA · coastal belt
- Habitat
- Live oak understory · marsh edges
- Tolerance
- Drought · salt spray · heat
A holly. With caffeine.
Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) is a holly. The leaves are naturally caffeinated. We use the leaves only — never the berries. The historical scientific name is misleading; the plant doesn't cause that effect.
- FamilyAquifoliaceae · Ilex
- Caffeine~60mg per 8oz brew
- Companion compoundTheobromine · same as cocoa
- UseDried leaves only
Centuries of brewing.
Yaupon was brewed for centuries by the indigenous peoples of the South long before coffee arrived in the colonies. We carry that tradition forward with respect — not appropriation — and let the plant's history sit alongside the modern way we drink it now.
Wild and cultivated leaves from Southern growers.
Slow roasted to bring out warm, dark, smooth notes.
Loose, sparkling, or concentrated — three formats.
Smooth, earthy,
never bitter.
Roasted up front. Clean and earthy in the middle. A lightly herbal finish. Yaupon doesn't astringe the way an over-steeped black tea will — over-steep it, walk away, come back. It still tastes like itself.
- Profile
- Roasted · earthy · lightly herbal
- Body
- Medium · clean finish
- Bitterness
- Low · doesn't astringe
- Versatility
- Hot · iced · sparkling · concentrated
Three ways to drink it.
One leaf, three formats. Built around the way you actually move through a day.
Hot, brewed
Heat to 200°F. Steep one heaping teaspoon per 8oz for 4 minutes. Pour over ice for cold brew.
Cold, sparkling
Crack a 12oz can 30 minutes before movement. Sip across the first hour — don't slam.
Concentrated
1 oz concentrate, 4 oz cold water, ice. Cap, shake, drink. Cut with sparkling for lift.