Quick answer: Cascara is the dried skin and fruit of the coffee cherry, the part normally discarded to get the coffee bean. It is brewed like loose-leaf tea and tastes sweet, fruity and floral, more like a herbal tea than coffee. It contains some caffeine, but much less than coffee. Steep about 18 g in 252 g of 93°C water for at least 4 minutes.
Coffee beans are the seeds of a fruit, the coffee cherry. When the seeds are removed, the fruit around them is usually thrown away or used as compost. Some growers now dry that fruit and sell it as cascara, a fruity tea you can brew at home.
We have been throwing away this perfectly good coffee fruit for a long time, and there’s no real reason for it, because it tastes delicious.
Peter Giuliano, of the Specialty Coffee Association
In this guide 7 sections
What is cascara?
Cascara is the coffee cherry fruit that is separated from the seed and dried. The name means “husk” in Spanish. In Yemen and Ethiopia, dried coffee cherry husks have been brewed into drinks such as qishr for centuries, and growers in countries including Ethiopia, Yemen, El Salvador and Bolivia now export cascara around the world.
Contrary to popular belief, good cascara isn’t just a by-product. It takes the same care in farming and processing as the coffee beans, and those differences show up in the cup.
Dry-processed cascara
Most cascara is dry processed: the whole coffee cherries are dried with the beans inside, then the dried husks and beans are separated. The husks are packaged as cascara and look like broken-up dried leaves.
Wet-processed cascara
In wet processing, the fruit is separated from the seeds in water, by fermentation or high-powered scrubbing, and the empty skins are then collected and dried. This takes longer and is riskier, because even a little mold during drying can ruin a whole batch. The result is a higher-quality product that looks like squeezed, dried wood chips.
What does cascara taste like?
Although coffee beans and cascara come from the same plant, they taste nothing alike. Cascara is closer to a herbal tea or tisane: naturally and subtly sweet, with floral and fruity, slightly tart notes. As with coffee, processing affects the flavor, body and acidity, and so does how you brew it, so experiment to find what you like.
Does cascara have caffeine?
Yes, but much less than coffee. In a lab test commissioned by Square Mile Coffee Roasters, the strongest cascara brew contained about 111 mg of caffeine per liter, compared with roughly 400–800 mg per liter for brewed coffee. The amount depends on how much cascara you use and how long you steep it.
Cascara drinks have been popping up at more coffee shops in recent years. Served cold, it is a refreshing, lightly caffeinated summer drink.
How do you brew cascara at home?
Brew cascara like loose-leaf tea: steep it in water, then strain it out. A teapot, French press or even an AeroPress all work.
Hot cascara tea
- Heat water to 93°C (about 200°F). Like coffee, you don’t want it at a full boil, which can scorch the cascara.
- Use a ratio of 1:14, for example 18 g of cascara to 252 g of water.
- Steep for at least 4 minutes. For a stronger, more caffeinated drink, steep for up to 12 minutes.
- Strain out the cascara and serve.
Cold brew cascara
- Use a ratio of 1:7, for example 1 g of cascara for every 7 g of water, in a mason jar or wide-mouth bottle.
- Leave it in the fridge for 24 to 48 hours, depending on how strong you like it.
- Strain it through a strainer or filter into another bottle.
- Serve over ice.
Where can you buy cascara?
| Coffee Fruit Tea, Cascara, by Twin Engine Coffee | Check the price on Amazon |
Cascara is rarely sold in regular shops, but many coffee roasters sell it online. This is my favorite brand of cascara on Amazon.
It is made by Twin Engine Coffee from whole mature fruit. When I steeped it, the cherries swelled to about three times their size in 10 minutes, a sign of good-quality fruit.
What was the Starbucks Cascara Latte like?
Starbucks offered a Cascara Latte for a limited time in 2017, and I tried it that December. It combined espresso, steamed milk and cascara syrup, topped with foamed milk.
It tasted mostly of caramel and was sweeter than I like, but overall it was a good coffee drink and I would have ordered it again.
Frequently asked questions
Is cascara coffee or tea?
It is made from the coffee plant but brewed and tastes like a herbal tea. It contains no coffee beans.
Who would like cascara?
If you love coffee but want something different to sip now and then, cascara is worth trying. My mom, who doesn’t like coffee, loved it, probably because of its natural sweetness.
For more ways to switch up your daily cup, see our coffee alternatives with caffeine and our guide to the different types of coffee.
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I love that you are spreading awareness about cascara. It can make a huge difference for coffee growers around the world if there is more demand for this product.
We recently produced a video about our cascara extract (please note it is a bulk ingredient for beverage/food manufacturers and we do not provide it for direct to consumer sales.) But the video is touching on the importance of this coffee fruit.
Hi Brian,
I watched your video, I loved it and it had a beautiful story. Coffee cherries are definitely under-appreciated and I would like to see it grow in popularity for both the farmers and the consumers!
Regards,
Edmond