The plant
Meet yaupon.
North America's only native caffeinated plant. It has grown wild across Texas and the Southeast for centuries, and for most of that time, people drank it.
What it is
Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) is an evergreen holly with small, glossy leaves and bright red berries. It's related to South America's yerba mate and guayusa, and it's the only member of that family native to North America. Its leaves naturally contain caffeine and theobromine, the same compound found in cacao. Brewed, yaupon is smooth and earthy, without the bitterness people expect from black tea or coffee.
Where it grows
Yaupon grows wild from East and Central Texas along the Gulf Coast and up through the Carolinas. It's hardy and drought-tolerant and thrives with very little help. In much of Texas it's so common that landowners clear it as brush. We think it deserves better.
The original American caffeine
Long before coffee or tea reached these shores, Indigenous peoples of the Southeast brewed yaupon into a strong drink for daily life and ceremony, which European accounts called the "black drink." The name cassina is traced to the Timucua people of Florida. Later, during the American Revolution, colonists turned to yaupon as a homegrown alternative to taxed British tea.
Why you've never heard of it
Two things worked against yaupon. Its botanical name, vomitoria, came from a European misreading of how the drink was used in ceremony, not from anything the plant does, but the name stuck. And as cheap coffee and tea imports took over, a wild native plant had no industry behind it. It slowly faded from American cups.
Why it's back
A small community of growers and brewers, mostly in Texas and the Southeast, is bringing yaupon back. It grows here, it needs no imports, and it tastes good. Cassina puts it in a can.
How we use it
Every can of Cassina starts with yaupon: 100mg of native caffeine per 12oz can, about what you'd find in a typical cup of coffee. We add nootropics and electrolytes, and we sweeten it naturally. Everything in the can is natural, with no artificial preservatives. The result is a blend built for long days, focused work, and whatever's next on your list.
