The Materials · Guayusa
The Amazon's best-kept secret.
Used for 1,500 years. Discovered by the rest of the world in the last ten. Guayusa is not a wellness trend — it is a way of life that happens to fit perfectly into yours.
Origin & Impact→Guayusa
What is guayusa?
(pronounced gwhy-YOU-sa)
Guayusa — pronounced gwhy-YOU-sa — is a holly tree native to the upper Amazon basin of Ecuador. For millennia, Kichwa communities have woken before dawn to gather around the fire and drink guayusa together, sharing stories, interpreting dreams, and passing down culture through the ritual of the cup. It is more than a beverage. The guayusa gathering — the wakeup — is a form of collective intelligence, a social infrastructure, and a cultural archive. When you drink Urkaya guayusa, you participate in something far older than the wellness industry.
What It Contains
Everything you need. Nothing you don't.
Natural Caffeine
Similar levels to green tea — enough to focus, gentle enough not to alarm
L-Theanine
Produces calm, sustained alertness — energy without edge
Antioxidants
Higher ORAC value than green tea; comparable to dark berries
Chlorogenic Acids
Associated with metabolic and cardiovascular health benefits
Theobromine
A mild mood elevator also found in cacao
Acidity
Low — gentle on the stomach, suitable for those who find coffee harsh
The Honest Comparison
All the energy. None of the edge.
| Guayusa | Coffee | |
|---|---|---|
| Caffeine | Moderate (similar to green tea) | High |
| Crash | Rare to none | Common |
| Jitters | Rare | Common |
| Antioxidants | High | Moderate |
| Taste | Smooth, earthy, slightly sweet | Bitter |
| Acidity | Low | High |
| Sustainability | Forest-grown, agroforestry | Often monoculture |
Preparation
Three ways to drink it.
Loose Leaf
Steep 2–3g in 200ml of water at 80°C for 4–5 minutes. Can be re-steeped 2–3 times.
Tea bags
Steep one bag per cup for 3–4 minutes at 80°C. Can be re-steeped once.
Cold brew
Place 4–5g in 500ml of cold water. Refrigerate overnight (8–12 hours). Exceptionally smooth and refreshing.
Traditional
A large pot, an hour of steeping, a morning shared. The Kichwa way — try it at least once.
Sourcing
How we source.
Urkaya's guayusa comes from Miguel Tapuy's family chacra in Napo Province and a network of fifteen Kichwa farming families he coordinates with. The trees grow within a traditional agroforestry system — no clear-cutting, no monoculture, no pesticides, and no extraction that the forest does not willingly give. Leaves are harvested by hand in the early morning — traditionally before sunrise, in keeping with the ritual — then sun-dried for 3–5 days and hand-sorted for quality before export. Our ARCSA registration and in-progress organic certification cover the full production chain.
Meet Miguel Tapuy →The Collection