A sustainable, carbon negative caffeine source is making a comeback.

I thought it was great when my airline announced that they were determined to become carbon neutral. 

Now that I'm a farmer and producer of American tea, I can't help but notice that there are lots of coffee and tea businesses that are also working hard to be carbon neutral, usually by off-setting damage to the environment by using recyclable packaging and planting trees in distant rainforests. 

We applaud these efforts, but we think there is a better way forward. The problem is, virtually all of the caffeinated drinks in America have to cross an ocean to get here. Imagine how much diesel fuel is burned to import 3.5 billion pounds of coffee or 250,000 tons of tea every year. That's a lot to offset!

If you care about the environment, why not get your caffeine from a plant that grows naturally right here in the southeastern United States that flourishes without the use of pesticides or fertilizer? 

It's called Yaupon Holly, and the caffeine level is about the same as green tea. It's tannin-free so it doesn't have any bitterness no matter how long it's steeped. That means you don't need sugar or milk to make it taste great!

Yaupon is loaded with anti-inflammatory and antioxidant ingredients, and was used medicinally here in America for over 8,000 years. Why not try tea that is good for the environment, good for American farmers and good for your health at the same time? 

See more about the carbon benefits of yaupon: https://youtu.be/N93AqorQFRU

And if you have a cafe and want to serve delicious, environmentally perfect tea, give us a call here at Rise Yaupon.