toxic since those who drank it would soon there-
after throw up. However, these same explorers
soon learned that if they drank it in a milder form
it becomes a tasty and refreshing tea without the
side effects observed by the Native Americans. We
now know that high levels of caffeine can upset
the stomach no matter the source. According to
the book, “Black Drink: A Native American Tea”
by Charles Hudson, the tea became widely used by
non-native peoples in coastal North Carolina as
early as the early 18th century.
A German traveler who visited coastal North
Carolina in 1794 reported that yaupon tea was
more commonly used than tea from China. I have
to wonder if the revolutionary war and our dis-
agreement about tea taxes was a contributing factor
during that time. Over time, however the drink
grew out of favor and was considered the drink of
poor uncultured people. By the 1890s the “sophis-
ticated” people of coastal North Carolina would
refer to the uncultured rural people of the Outer
Banks region as “yaupon drinkers.” I can just hear
the great great grandfather of Jeff Foxworthy of red
neck joke fame saying, “You might be a yaupon
drinker if you have three covered wagons on blocks
in front of your log cabin” or “you might be a yau-
pon drinker if you serve your afternoon tea with
cornbread.”
Today yaupon holly is widely planted in land-
scapes as an ornamental shrub and its use as a tea is
actually making a slow comeback. It is very ironic
to me that today yaupon tea is sold for high prices
and served in some upscale restaurants. The tea
whose drinkers were once looked upon as poor
uncultured people is now a very expensive specialty
tea that only the “cultured” people drink. They have
no idea they are likely growing this common shrub
in their yard and could easily harvest their own tea
for free.
CULLMAN COUNTY SENIOR MAGAZINE
SPRING 2020 | 15