The Guayusa Guide
What is guayusa tea?
Guayusa tea is a drink that is brewed from the leaves of Ilex guayusa, a holly tree from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. It is not made from the tea plant, but people brew it the same way, and it has caffeine. You can drink it hot, iced or as a cold brew. Waísa sells it as loose leaf and ready to drink in cans.
Is guayusa a real tea?
Not in the botanical sense. Black tea and green tea come from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Guayusa is a holly, like yerba mate, so guayusa tea is a herbal infusion. Most herbal infusions have no caffeine. Guayusa has caffeine. See how guayusa compares with yerba mate.
What does guayusa tea taste like?
People often describe guayusa as smooth and less bitter than other leafy infusions. The Waísa pouch says that guayusa is naturally smooth and does not become bitter when it steeps longer. Taste is personal, and it changes with the amount of leaf and the time that the leaf steeps.
Does guayusa tea have caffeine?
Yes. Guayusa leaves contain caffeine naturally. A chemical analysis published in 2023 measured 2.27% caffeine in the leaves. In a cup that you brew, the amount depends on how much leaf you use and how long it steeps. A 355 mL can of ready-to-drink Waísa has 140 mg of caffeine. Compare the caffeine with coffee, tea and cola.
What is in guayusa tea?
A toxicology study published in 2016 reports that guayusa tea contains caffeine and theobromine, chlorogenic acids, flavonoids and sugars. An analysis of the leaves published in 2017 identified 14 phenolic compounds, with chlorogenic acid as the main one of its group. Read what the research says about the benefits of guayusa.
How do you make guayusa tea?
The Waísa pouch says to add 1 to 3 tablespoons of loose leaf to an infuser, pour 250 mL of hot water, and steep for 5 minutes or more. You can steep the same leaves again for more cups. See how to brew guayusa hot, iced and as a cold brew.
Loose leaf or ready to drink?
| Loose leaf | Ready to drink | |
|---|---|---|
| Product | Green Guayusa, a 142 g (5 oz) pouch | Waísa cans, 355 mL, in three flavours |
| What it is | Organic guayusa leaf. Product of Ecuador | A guayusa leaf infusion that is not carbonated |
| Caffeine | Depends on how you brew it | 140 mg in a can |
| Calories and sugar | You decide what you add | 35 calories and 9 g of sugar in a can |
| Where to get it | On this site, when it is in stock | At cafés and retailers across Canada |
Who drank guayusa tea first?
The peoples of the high Amazon of Ecuador have consumed guayusa for thousands of years, reports a review of the plant published in 2025. Kichwa communities in the Upper Napo region traditionally brew guayusa before dawn and share it. Read more about what guayusa is.
Common questions
Is guayusa tea the same as green tea?
No. Green tea comes from the tea plant, Camellia sinensis. Guayusa tea is brewed from the leaves of Ilex guayusa, a holly from the Amazon rainforest of Ecuador. Both have caffeine.
Does guayusa tea have caffeine?
Yes. Guayusa leaves contain caffeine naturally. A chemical analysis published in 2023 measured 2.27% caffeine in the leaves. The amount in a cup depends on how much leaf you use and how long it steeps.
Is guayusa tea bitter?
People often describe guayusa as smooth and less bitter than other leafy infusions. The Waísa pouch says that guayusa does not become bitter when it steeps longer.
Sources
- Noriega P. and others, Guayusa (Ilex guayusa Loes.) Ancestral Plant of Ecuador, Molecules, 2025: the history and the chemistry of the plant.
- Kapp R. W. and others, General and Genetic Toxicology of Guayusa Concentrate (Ilex guayusa), International Journal of Toxicology, 2016: the compounds in guayusa tea.
- García-Ruiz A. and others, Guayusa (Ilex guayusa L.) new tea: phenolic and carotenoid composition and antioxidant capacity, Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, 2017: the phenolic compounds of the leaves.
- Cadena-Carrera S. and others, Green-based methods to obtain bioactive compounds from Ilex guayusa Loes. using polar solvent, Natural Product Research, 2023: the caffeine in the leaves.