Cascara: The New Non-Coffee Coffee Product
Most of us know that coffee is made from the seed inside a type of fruit known as a coffee cherry. But what is cascara? Is it a type of coffee? An herbal tea? Turns out, it’s really a whole new kind of beverage.
Cascara is now popping up in coffee shops everywhere. Thanks to its delightful, fruity flavor and sustainable production methods, this new food trend is likely here to stay.
What is Cascara?
While coffee is made from the inner bean of a coffee cherry, cascara is made from the outer skin and pulp of the cherry. It is still technically coffee but smells and tastes more like an herbal tea.
Like traditional coffee, cascara’s taste can differ widely depending on the region in which it was grown. It’s known for its floral, fruity flavor and it couldn’t taste more different from your typical coffee.
Another interesting characteristic is its low caffeine content. Regular coffee has about 400-800 mg/L of caffeine, which is huge when compared to just 111.4 mg/L in the strongest cascara brew.
Sustainable Production Methods
During coffee processing, the coffee cherry husks are removed and dried. Then, these dried coffee skins are brewed, much like tea.
This new coffee beverage is also an eco-friendly choice, as it is part of coffee production process that would normally be composted or discarded as waste. It’s a sustainable and tasty solution to coffee cherry components that were not previously utilized.
The recent emergence of cascara is consistent with other recent food trends. Consumers are no longer just looking for a high quality product. Instead, there is now an increasing interest in health benefits, humane labor practices, and sustainable production methods.
Many cafes all over the country are now offering cascara alongside traditional coffee. Whether it’s served hot, cold, carbonated, or in some other form, it’s clear that the coffee world is embracing this new beverage and creating a whole slew of creative concoctions.