Energize With A Cup Of Guayusa
CAPSULE REPORT: A week or two ago, as we roamed among the exhibitors at the Coffee & Tea Festival in New York City, we came across guayusa.
Pronounced why-YOU-suh, guayusa has been quietly available for a while from boutique tea companies. Runa, the exhibitor at the show, is a project that has organized guayusa growers and harvesters to help create economic sustainability among rainforest inhabitants.
Our conversation with the representative went like this:
REP: Would you like some herbal tea?
US: What kind of herbal tea?
REP: It’s a caffeinated herbal tea made from holly leaves, with great health benefits.
US: You mean, yerba maté?
REP: No, guayusa. It’s a cousin of maté.
US: Sure (gulp, gulp, slurp).
REP:: It’s certified organic and kosher. [It’s also Fair Trade and sustainable.]
US: Wow, this is delicious! It’s so fresh, crisp and clean. Not at all like maté [which, we hasten to note, has its own charms and avid fans].
Guayusa is as refreshing and comforting as your favorite herbal tea. We love it!
The very next day, while cleaning up a pile of sell sheets for products we failed to pursue last year, we came across a sell sheet for...the same Runa guayusa! So it’s our bad that it’s taken so long to tell you about this wonderful drink.
An all-natural source of energy and nutrition, a cup of guayusa can produce a clear mind and focused energy. Like maté, it has an impressive balance of amino acids, antioxidants, caffeine and vitamins. The caffeine, balanced by the other ingredients, keeps you alert without any jitters.
Guayusa is a triple-feel-good product:
- You drink it and feel good.
- Your purchase helps indigenous farmers of Napo Province, Ecuador.
- You also help the planet. Guayusa is shade-grown under an Amazon rainforest canopy and requires a diverse ecological habitat. Guayusa sales create economic incentives for farmers to keep the rainforest intact.
There’s much more to say—about the flavors, the health benefits and the back story of guyausa—on the next page. Before you click away, take a peek at the article index below.
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