One Sip at a Time

Behind one of the booths at the Texas Farmers’ Market at Mueller stands a guy whose curiosity took him down a rabbit hole and brought something extraordinary into the world. Jason Ellis isn’t your typical vendor. He’s a gardener, forager, and plant lover whose journey into the world of yaupon began with a simple but powerful question: What useful plants could he grow or forage in his own yard? 

That curiosity ultimately led him to rediscover a native plant with a long, ancient history and a definite comeback.

Years before yaupon became his business, Ellis was exploring native flora and experimenting with edible and useful plants through gardening and permaculture. One day, while leafing through a Native American ethnobotany book, he stumbled on a surprising revelation. There was a caffeinated plant growing wild all around him: yaupon holly. You’ve probably even seen it yourself in gardens around Austin. He learned that Indigenous peoples had been drinking it for centuries.

Like many people unfamiliar with it, Ellis assumed that if nobody was widely drinking this native caffeine source anymore, it must taste terrible. “I started experimenting with it,” he recounts, “only to discover it was delicious. It wasn’t just drinkable: it was rich and nuanced, with a smooth energy that didn’t have a jittery edge.”

Ellis spent years refining how to harvest, cure, and roast the leaves before he landed on methods he felt produced the best yaupon tea possible. In 2015, he and his partners founded Lost Pines Yaupon Tea in Austin, Texas, with the mission of bringing this forgotten native beverage into the mainstream.

More Than a Drink

Ellis notes that this beverage that once served as a staple for Indigenous communities is also a sustainable caffeine source. It thrives without irrigation, pesticides, or cultivation, flourishing even in poor soils. And the yaupon serves as a dense understory in forests like Bastrop’s Lost Pines, a region that now serves as one of their primary harvesting grounds. Harvesting yaupon not only supplies the tea but also benefits the landscape. Removing dense yaupon thickets helps restore habitat for native species like the critically endangered Houston toad and supports forest health, reducing wildfire fuel loads. 

At the market, people are often very curious about the products, and Ellis offers free sample tastings. His light roast brings out bright, tea-like notes that remind drinkers of green tea with a twist, while the dark roast delivers deeper, roasty, campfire-like flavors that appeal to coffee lovers and adventurous palates alike. He also prepares flavored tea concentrates with fresh, real ingredients like basil, mint, and Texas fruit, turning the ancient plant into modern, seasonal refreshers.

Perhaps the most talked-about concoction lately is the take on a creamy caffeinated treat Ellis cheekily calls ‘(not) Vietnamese Coffee.’ 

I tried it iced, and it was so delicious! By blending dark-roasted yaupon with chicory, brewing it strong, and adding sweetened condensed milk, the resulting drink is a rich, comforting beverage that both delights and gives a gentle energy boost.

Ellis is not just selling a drink. He’s inviting people to be part of something local, regenerative, and energetic. The market itself, full of neighbors, makers, growers, and curious explorers, feels like the perfect stage for this rediscovered plant. And Ellis, with his grounded enthusiasm and deep respect for both tradition and innovation, is exactly the kind of helper the community needs right now.  Through his work with Lost Pines Yaupon, Ellis brings a sense of connection to land, history, community, and sustainable practice in every cup. What began as a backyard experiment has grown into a mission to revive a native treasure, one sip at a time.

Carmen Gray has lived in Austin since 1992. She is a retired teacher, published author, and freelance writer.