Cascara, which means "husk" in Spanish, is the dried husk of coffee cherries. This innovative approach enables the reuse of normally discarded coffee cherries, contributing to ecological sustainability. The taste of cascara is unique, being somewhere between coffee and tea, with a sweet and fruity profile that includes notes of rose, hibiscus, cherry, currant, mango and tobacco. Despite its origin from the coffee plant, cascara does not contain the same amount of caffeine as coffee, which differentiates it from traditional coffee drinks.
Coffee cherry tea, also known as "hashara" or "qisher," has been popular for centuries in countries such as Yemen and Ethiopia. In these countries, dried cherries are often steeped together with spices such as ginger, nutmeg or cinnamon to create a fragrant drink.
Instructions for making cascara tea vary, but mostly involve steeping dried cherries in hot water. In addition to the above-mentioned cascara steeping in addition to ginger or nutmeg, some recommend adding honey or sugar to the already made tea for a more intense taste.
Cascara can also be prepared cold and served as iced tea.
When buying cascara, it is important not to confuse it with cascara sagrada, which is the dried bark of the California thorn tree and is used for laxative purposes.
Did you know?👀
Cascara was banned in Europe. Namely between the years 2015 and 2021. 🫣
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