Compliance is a feature, not the whole pitch — but it is absolute. Here is the line we hold, stated plainly.
In any form, including decaf.
Camellia sinensis in any form: black, green, white, matcha, extracts.
All Section 89 caffeine is synthetic or from yaupon, guayusa, or cacao; all theanine is fermentation-derived. This is why we don’t stock most “beanless coffee” brands — their caffeine is recovered from green-tea decaffeination.
Kucha is a Camellia sinensis variant.
Anywhere, including flavorings. No exceptions.
Zero-proof spirits and whiskey / rum / liqueur flavors. Zero-proof spirits can carry up to 0.5% ABV and are spirit-positioned — both reasons we exclude them. Our Oak & Ember uses a glycerin-and-water oak essence: real oak, never a spirit.
Excluded on 2023–2024 Cleveland Clinic cardiovascular findings. Our zero-sugar system uses allulose instead.
Nothing we sell contains added sugar; the crash lives in the sugar, and we don’t sell the crash.
The official reading of Doctrine & Covenants 89 prohibits coffee and tea (Camellia sinensis) — not caffeine. This is stated in the Church’s own guidance (LDS Newsroom, August 29, 2012; New Era, August 2019). Section 89 is built inside that distinction: no coffee, no tea, ever — while caffeine itself is a dial you control.
Every milligram of caffeine on this site comes from one of four sources: synthetic caffeine, yaupon (Ilex vomitoria), guayusa (Ilex guayusa), or cacao. We never use tea-derived caffeine, and our L-theanine is fermentation-derived — never extracted from tea. Caffeinated products are batch-assayed and the milligrams are printed on the bag.
Verification, not vibes. Synthetic caffeine is fossil-carbon; C-14 radiocarbon (ASTM D6866) and δ¹³C testing distinguish it from tea- or coffee-derived caffeine in the lab. “Never tea” isn’t a promise — it’s a lab result. Roadmap: a per-lot assay printed on every Native-line bag.
Anything marked unvalidated on this site is a target, not a claim. It ships when its test plan passes — and not before.
Section 89 is an independent company. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.