Cascara sits between coffee and tea in the best possible way. It comes from the dried coffee cherry, not the roasted seed, so the cup can taste fruity, floral, lightly sweet, and very different from brewed coffee.
You are brewing the fruit around the coffee seed, so the extraction target changes completely.
- Coffee cherry
Cascara starts as the outer fruit of the coffee plant.
- Careful drying
Clean drying protects fruit character and reduces off flavors.
- Tea-style brew
Hot water extracts fruit notes rather than roasted coffee oils.
- Variable caffeine
Check product caffeine information; a fruity infusion is not necessarily a low-caffeine drink.
Think raisin, hibiscus, rose hip, cherry, or honey depending on the lot.
Use hot water, steep, strain, and adjust strength by weight.
Great for people who like coffee origin stories and tea-like drinks.
See where cascara fits in coffee processing.
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To understand what Cascara is, you must first familiarize yourself with the background of the exotic drink you consume so often.
Coffee beans are seeds inside the fruit known as a coffee cherry.
Once ready, the coffee beans are separated from the fruit, and the coffee cherry is left behind. The regular practice previously was to discard the fruit once the coffee beans have been gathered.
The Spanish word cáscara means peel or husk; coffee-cherry drinks predate the current specialty-coffee market.
Hence, Cascara refers to the dried skin of coffee fruit that is removed when obtaining the beans.
History of Cascara
EFSA’s review of coffee-husk infusions describes a history of consumption in Yemen and Ethiopia, and later Bolivia and Brazil. The fruit, rather than the roasted seed, is used for these drinks.
Is Cascara Tea or Coffee?
“Coffee-cherry tea” describes how the dried fruit is infused in water. The name does not tell you how much caffeine the drink contains.
But, in reality, Cascara is not tea either.
It contains no tea leaves, so “coffee-cherry tea” describes an infusion rather than a drink made from the tea plant.
It is important to remember that Cascara is not the same as Cascara Sagrada.
How cascara is produced
Cascara comes from coffee-cherry processing. The NCA explains that the fruit may be removed before drying or separated after the whole cherry is dried.
For a drink, buy cascara sold for food use from a traceable supplier. Coffee-processing waste is not automatically a beverage ingredient.
Controlled drying and storage matter because contamination can make the material unsuitable for consumption.
The natural or dry process dries whole coffee cherries before the dried outer material is removed; equipment and drying methods vary.
As mentioned earlier, this is the most important step in the whole process since they are susceptible to growing mold. There are different methods used to decrease the effect of humidity in some parts of the world.
Difference in Taste
The taste of Cascara is not consistent since it depends significantly on how the coffee cherry is processed. However, you will find that its taste varies from that of coffee and has an entirely different flavor profile. You will be surprised to know that the taste of Cascara is fundamentally sweet and has a fruity tinge. This is extremely different from the bitterness that is usually associated with the taste of coffee.
Caffeine and health claims
Cascara is caffeinated, and its strength varies with the product and preparation. EFSA’s safety assessment notes that some infusions can contain caffeine concentrations comparable to coffee. Do not assume a fruity taste means a low-caffeine drink.
Choose cascara as a beverage, not as a treatment. A food-safety assessment does not demonstrate a health benefit.
Caffeine can interfere with sleep. Check the label and follow FDA advice on caffeine sensitivity and health conditions; discuss caffeine with a clinician if pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medicines or advised to limit it.
Preparing Cascara
As a beverage, people that have a sweet tooth might want to add sugar in to get the sweetness.
However, since Cascara has been long in use for making some truly delicious and unique beverages, there is more than one way to prepare drinks out of it.
Choose coffee-cherry cascara, not cascara sagrada. The European Medicines Agency identifies medicinal cascara as bark from Rhamnus purshiana, a laxative with precautions and contraindications. The two products are not interchangeable.
Follow the supplier’s dose, water temperature and steeping instructions, then strain. Do not treat the amounts for one cascara product as a universal recipe.
There isn’t a single way of making Cascara and people in different regions of the world use various additions in their beverage to give it a unique taste. You might experience a different taste every time you prepare yourself a Cascara beverage. However, with time, you will learn how to get the exact flavor you need and what steps to follow.
If you enjoy spiced drinks, optional flavorings include:
- Ginger
- Cinnamon
- Nutmeg
- Caraway
Add a little spice at a time so it does not overwhelm the fruit flavor. Honey is a sweetener, not evidence that the drink has health benefits.
Conclusion
Choose cascara for its flavor and the chance to explore another part of the coffee fruit. Buy a product intended for drinking, follow its preparation instructions and count its caffeine alongside other drinks.
