I had heard that the use of yaupon tea, derived from the Native American "black drink" was a popular alternative to coffee because of its high caffeine value, but you hardly hear of it today. When and why did it leave American popular cuisine?
There's not a lot of evidence for what caused the decline in popularity of yaupon. The thing I've read the most when this question is brought up is that it just became unpopular because it's what the poor drank.