Behind the Blend: The Story of Rise Yaupon’s Healthy Kick Yaupon Tea

What Makes Yaupon Tea Unique?

Rise Yaupon’s top selling-tea was developed with wellness in mind, but its formulation was a true family affair.

All of Rise Yaupon’s teas start with a foundation of Yaupon Holly; North America’s only naturally caffeinated plant that grows wild here in Volusia County. Yaupon tea was used medicinally for thousands of years and now we know why; it is a natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant super food, loaded with polyphenols and flavonoids. Having Yaupon as the base of a wellness-forward blend is a great starting point.

Balancing Flavor and Wellness

“In our prototype tea we blended yaupon with ingredients that we thought were health-promoting. Unfortunately, it tasted terrible and my sister (a physician), challenged why we made those ingredient choices. At that point, she took over and created the Healthy Kick ingredient panel: cinnamon, ginger, rose hips, rose petals, and hibiscus,” says Rise’s president, Shelly Steele.

“From there, the family formulated the recipe - tweaking with the help of friends and family - and created what is now Healthy Kick Tea. The secret is having a balance of flavors with nothing too overpowering. We didn’t want to ruin the smooth, tannin-free finish of Yaupon.”

As fall rolls around, come try this unique local tea that has a warming spice and floral finish flavor profile - and see for yourself why it’s become a best seller. Rise offers free samples and factory tours in their Edgewater facility, Tuesday and Thursday mornings are best.