Yusa brings a taste of the Amazon to energy drinks market

Ready-to-drink sparkling energy tea Yusa is claimed to be the first drink in the UK to use the Amazonian guayusa leaf.

Yusa – the first variant of which is Mango & Pineapple – has no added tea extracts or caffeine; instead all its energy and health benefits come from the newly discovered Amazonian ‘super tea leaf’ guayusa, which the brand says is the second most caffeinated plant in the world after coffee.

One can contains the same amount of caffeine as one strong cup of coffee (100mg/250ml) and twice as many antioxidants as a cup of green tea (220mg GAE/250 ml). Furthermore, says the brand, consumers won’t get the crash or jitters associated with other caffeinated drinks, just balanced, sustained energy.

Aimed at the health-aware consumer, Yusa aims to bridge the gap between health and energy drinks. It’s naturally sweetened with Stevia, has a low sugar content (less than 2.5g per 100ml) contains only 28 calories and is 100% natural.

Grown in the Amazon rainforest, primarily in Ecuador, where its benefits are heralded by locals, guayusa has been an important ingredient of tribal life for centuries.