Kickstarter Success for Texas Tea

Around a large campfire on a dark moonless night, a group of tall, copper-toned, scary looking men gathered for a ritual before heading to war the next day. The drink, a very strong black tea, was passed around to cleanse the body and soul. The first Texas tea party was born! These Native Americans loved their tea, but they were not your average tea-sippers. They were Karankawas, some of the most ferocious warriors in Texas. So where did they get this tea? The curious Texians eventually solved the mystery of this powerful drink. They discovered that the Karankawas were making this tea from an abundantly available indigenous plant, the yaupon holly. 

Yaupon holly, which is related to yerba mate, is the only plant native to North America with significant amounts of caffeine in its leaves. The Karankawa warriors would boil the leaves to make their thick, dark tea. The Texians learned to make a lighter tea, comparable in taste to the Asian teas that many people drink today. They called it cassina and enjoyed it with sugar and milk. As the years passed and the Civil War began, coffee became scarce. Many soldiers turned to yaupon holly tea for their caffeine fix. The soldiers referred to it as “Texas Tea”. 

Moving forward to today, the lost art of making tea from yaupon holly leaves has resurfaced. A couple of Texas ladies are re-introducing yaupon holly tea to the public. As I was doing historic research for my next “Rick Remington Adventure book”, I came across an article on the Karankawas and their “Black Drink”. This led me to the Cat Spring Tea Company. This Texas born tea is organic, sustainable and hand-picked by “second chance” individuals at a fair wage. If you have read our blog, you know that when we come across something unique to Texas, we give it a try. The teas we tried had excellent flavor with no tannins, so they are very smooth. Who would have thought that we have excellent native teas right out our back door. So if you like tea and want to support a Texas business, give it a try. I think you will be pleasantly surprised with the results!

Another interesting aspect of the Cat Spring Tea Company is their use of Kickstarter to fund their operation. This new and innovative way to connect creators with investors can be the difference between success and failure for small start-ups like Cat Spring Tea Company. From $1 to $250, you can invest in a unique Texas business and be a part into what makes Texas great! To view/support their Kickstarter Project, click on this link to Kickstarter and enjoy a cup of Yaupon Holly tea as we see Texas Thru My Back Door.

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