I haven’t made this brew with fresh guayusa leaves since after I left Ecuador. It’s nearly impossible to get the fresh leaves outside of the country. Obviously, fresh leaves have the strongest effects 😉

The amount of leaves depends how much water you’re using along with the leaves.

Make a nice strong brew. The leaves are dirt cheap in Ecuador, thus stuff the water-pot nice and full, while leaving sufficient space for the water to boil properly. Experiment with different quantities. Using only 3 or 4 leaves would not be enough. Maybe try 10 to 15 in a pot of water (like in the photo in the post).