What is Cascara?
Cascara is the flesh of the coffee cherry fruit. It's the spanish word for husk, peel or skin.
How is Cascara processed?
After the seeds have been removed from coffee cherries, the pulped skin is commonly dried before export due to biohazard regulations and concern over fermentation during transportation.
Normally a byproduct of the coffee process and discarded or reused as compost, there has been interest over the years in using the cherry for coffee but difficulties in transportation and local biohazard laws over concerns of chemicals or importing foreign diseases which may harm the local crops remain an obstacle in bringing this to the mainsteam.
While cascara is often described as having a raisin aftertaste with posisbly fruity undertones of rose hip, hibiscus, mangoes & tobacco, it is also akin to coffee beans where the final cup is heavily influenced by the coffee processing method.
Tea, Coffee, Herb or Tisane?
Coming from the coffee cherry but brewed as a tea, the leaves contain less caffeine but is not formally recognised as a tea as it does not come from the Camellia sinensis plant. While our current selection from Laos is reminiscent of the black Chinese Herbal Tea, it is not a herb. Some people have suggested that is falls best in the category of Fruit Tisanes as it originates from a fruit.
History of "Cascara"
Dried coffee husks or peels have been used to brew drinks by coffee farmers.
Qishr, a Yemeni drink made from spiced coffee husks with ground ginger and an occasional stick of cinnamon or caraway, is often used to welcome guests and in religious ceremonies.
Geshar or Hashara, an Ethiopian drink made from darkly roasted coffee husks which is infused in water for an intense fruity punch.
Sultana, a Bolivian beverage with cinnamon, clove, and added sweeteners.
"Superfood" status?
Cascara has been touted to have more "antioxidants" than blueberries, acai and pomegranate, and combined with polyphenol and chlorogenic acid while containing less caffeine, it may be the next ingredient to appear in your smoothies and superfood bowls.
While buzzwords like "superfoods" and "antioxidants" and official sounding words like "ORAC Score" with "studies" sound convincing, human trials in the 2000s found that these were inconclusive, disappointing researchers who had dedicated their lives to the study of antioxidants.
Preparing Cascara
Cascara in hand but not sure what to do? Check out our suggested recipes here and tweak to taste.
No cascara and want to try some? We've got some from the latest crop here.