Guayusa is an South American amazonian herb that is slowly making it's way onto shelves of the US. I first heard about this herb from a tea demo for Runa Tea's Guayusa Spice at Wegmans and brought a box home.

Guayusa is naturally caffeinated, though not as caffeinated as coffee, but stronger than that of Camellia Sinensis tea. It has traditional roots amongst Amazonian shamans, indigenous families wake up at dawn to drink this herb as a preparation for the day.

Stash's Guayusa with Chai comes in bagged form as well as loose leaf. I received the bagged tea. While doing research I found that their is quite a difference between the two. Stash's loose leaf form of this tea has the addition of green and black tea as well as cassia oil and clove oil. The bagged form of this tea contains guayusa, clove, cardamom, ginger root, and cassia.

Cassia is a shrub in the genus of the bean family and is used as an alternative to cinnamon.

I brewed this tea for 5 minutes with full boiling water. The liquor was a nice roasted brownish red color. The ginger and cloves were very prominent tastes, I could taste the guayusa itself as well. I actually enjoyed this cup more than I enjoyed Runa's Guayusa Spice, another brand of guayusa tea which contains lemongrass and cinnamon.

Guayusa provides a nice focused energy with no crash. For some people like myself who can't really handle a cup o' joe, this is a nice alternative for those days when you need more caffeine than a green or black tea could provide.

— To purchase Stash Guayusa with Chai, or for more specific information on ingredients or the story behind this particular tea, click here to go directly to the manufacturer's web site.

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