Thanks for being willing to experiment on yourself for us! I’d love to see if anything comes of you potentially crossing the various caffeinated species
I would try a low tech approach, all that timers and thermostats make me itch all over. How was it done before? Maybe a longer cure at room temp yields different result? How was it "cooked" - possibly on a wood fired stove, so in a pan on top or in the oven?
We have very little clue, just one gardener in the 1850s. My guess from other Holly teas is drying in the sun (yeah, good luck in the UK) and then roasting over a fire (which I don't have).
Yaupon (Ilex vomitoria) was a common tea in the US. Yerba mate is also an ilex species.
https://www.southernfoodways.org/southern-sip-yaupon-holly/
Yes, those are both caffeine bearing hollies
Thanks for being willing to experiment on yourself for us! I’d love to see if anything comes of you potentially crossing the various caffeinated species
Nothing like being a human guinea pig 🐷
That’s really fascinating but I’m not sure I’m brave enough to give it a go. It’s amazing what you find out once you go searching
Maybe just a sip 😁
I would try a low tech approach, all that timers and thermostats make me itch all over. How was it done before? Maybe a longer cure at room temp yields different result? How was it "cooked" - possibly on a wood fired stove, so in a pan on top or in the oven?
We have very little clue, just one gardener in the 1850s. My guess from other Holly teas is drying in the sun (yeah, good luck in the UK) and then roasting over a fire (which I don't have).