News — atlasobscura

DRINKS Yaupon Tea The mellow-buzz brew that once fueled Native Americans is making a comeback.   CATSPRING YAUPON/USED WITH PERMISSION 229 It’s an undisputed fact that the United States is a coffee country: American adults average three cups every day. But that wasn’t always the case. Before the arrival of Columbus, indigenous Americans’ caffeinated beverage of choice was a holly-based tea known as cassina. Also known as yaupon, cassina is a close relative of the popular South American holly-based tea, yerba maté. Both dark brown drinks have an herbaceous, complex flavor and a mild, jitter-less buzz. And yet, yerba maté has survived, and thrived,...