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Coffea stenophylla: A forgotten bean that could save coffee from extinction

(www.smithsonianmag.com)
170 points derbOac | 1 comments | 02 Apr 25 10:25 UTC | HN request time: 0.218s | source
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doodlebugging ◴[02 Apr 25 15:34 UTC] No.43557864[source]▶
Maybe the answer is for someone to work on boosting natural caffeine levels in yaupon holly tea.

It grows wild all over the SE US and can withstand multi-year drought or regular floods though it does best in a situation where it gets regular rainfall. You may have some in your own yard used as a hedge plant. I have several large trees on my place. It spreads underground by suckers and will take over an area if you do nothing to contain it. It is very strong once it forms a thicket. I have driven across a yaupon thicket in a seismic buggy and been in a situation where none of the tires were touching the ground as I drove because I was crossing a thick tangle of yaupon that supported the vehicle.

Caffeine levels are lower than coffee beans (40-60 mg versus >150 mg I think). Yaupon does also have theobromines, vasodilators, that are supposed to help it prevent the caffeine crash.

I have some leaves dried and drink it make a tea occasionally when I want a boost but not a cup of coffee level boost. It tastes great and is easy to prepare at home.

[0]https://yauponbrothers.com/blogs/news/is-yaupon-better-than-...

There are other sources of information about yaupon holly. It is proposed that the British naturalist who discovered Native Americans using it in their own ceremonies and drinking it casually decided to name it ilex vomitoria not because it was dangerous or poisonous to consume but because since it grew wild in the colonies, it could be a serious competitor to English tea so he used the name to make it less attractive.

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nkozyra ◴[02 Apr 25 18:09 UTC] No.43559537[source]▶
> Maybe the answer is for someone to work on boosting natural caffeine levels in yaupon holly tea

The problem isn't getting caffeine, though. You can buy a tub of 200mg caffeine pills for $3. People like coffee. Substituting coffee isn't just a matter of caffeine for drinkers.

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chasil ◴[02 Apr 25 19:04 UTC] No.43560278[source]▶
As the article states, the taste is complex beyond our understanding.

"When it comes to taste, coffee is amazingly complex. A single cup may contain up to 1,200 volatile compounds. Yet what you perceive in a cup depends on many things besides the plant’s genome: the environment in which it grew, the weather, the roast, the water used for brewing. Even the color of the cup matters. White makes coffee seem more intense, while clear glass makes it seem sweeter."

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thousand_nights ◴[02 Apr 25 22:21 UTC] No.43562391[source]▶
tbh i drink a coffee in the morning every day, no sugar, i think it tastes objectively terrible, like bitter dirt, but it's hijacked my reward pathway in the same way that nicotine or ethanol does, that it makes me enjoy the taste somehow
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1. nchmy ◴[05 Apr 25 11:24 UTC] No.43592501[source]▶
You need to learn how to brew coffee, friend.

Bitter generally means "overextracted" (and sour is the indicator for underextracted) The remedy is some combination of cooler water (maybe 90C), shorter brewing time, coarser grind. Also, wait for it to cool off - excellent coffee is almost always bitter when piping hot, but gets delicious when it has become warm.

Freshly roasted beans, and freshly ground for the brew, is crucial as well. Green beans keep their flavor for, let's say, 15 months. Roasted 15 days. Ground 15 minutes. All preground coffee in the grocery store is garbage. (Let alone instant coffee, which was low-grade to begin with, brewed en masse, rapidly dehydrated, and the remaining solids put in a jar for rehydration)

Of course, many have no interest in any of this process, and that's fine. But they're stuck with bland and/or bitter coffee...

Though, you don't need anything fancy to make good coffee. French press is dead-simple and consistent, and you don't even need a French press - you can use any recipient (eg a jar) and then just carefully pour the coffee out and try to leave the sludge behind. A careful Cowboy coffee, essentially.

Give it a try - you might get some enjoyment out of your addiction. Though, I've basically quit coffee altogether as my body has become immensely sensitive to caffeine, to the extent that half a cup daily will subtly mess up my whole life.