What is Cascara? Coffee Pirates
What is Cascara?
While it is no secret to most people what coffee is, we thought we should share some knowledge about cascara. So... what is Cascara? Good question. It is great .
Coffee beans are the seeds of a fruit commonly known as the coffee cherry. The color of this small, fleshy fruit can vary depending on the variety, but when ripe it is usually yellow or red. The cherry itself contains caffeine (this is how coffee gets its caffeine) and is rich in antioxidants. The fruit protects its seeds during growth and development by deterring insects and other wildlife that might hinder the development of the seeds.
When chopping, the stone is removed from the cherry. When the seeds are roasted, coffee is produced. But what happens to the cherries that worked so hard to protect these coffee beans? Usually the cherry is thrown away once it is separated from the stone. In some cases, coffee cherries can be processed into compost and used as fertilizer on the farm.
In some cases, the cherries can also be dried and brewed as a “tea”. In Ethiopia – the birthplace of coffee – the cherries have been dried for centuries and brewed into a drink called Qishr. When coffee bushes migrated from Africa and were eventually planted by Europeans in Central and South America, the dried coffee cherries were called cascara – or “shell” in Spanish.
Few coffee farmers produce cascara and even fewer countries export it. Peru Coffee, or Knauer & Knauer , who we worked with to develop the Cold Brew and Cascara drink, works exclusively with a few coffee farmers in Peru - to source single origin and variety cascara directly from the finca. They started by drying coffee cherries and continue to produce some of the most delicious cascara in the world.
At the farm level, cascara requires the same attention to detail in processing as coffee, and there is a spectrum of quality that varies from farmer to farmer. Coffee cherries that have been carefully grown, picked, produced and dried, when prepared correctly, ultimately result in a better beverage.
On the finca, coffee cherries are separated from the seeds and left whole. The whole cherries are washed clean, removing some extra pulp from the shell. The cherries are then sent to raised beds to dry before being packaged for shipping.
Although cascara comes from the coffee plant, it does not taste like coffee at all when brewed. Since it is brewed from dried fruits, it most closely resembles a fruit tea or herbal tea. The variety of coffee cherry – in addition to the place of cultivation, the time of harvest and the processing – has a strong influence on the taste profile, body and acidity. Typically there is a naturally sweet component in the flavor profile, which may be complemented by a spicy or floral component. The way in which cascara is prepared also plays a role in which flavors are most pronounced and which substance and acidity are most present.
Cascara is still a new introduction in Europe and Germany, but an exciting part of the specialty coffee experience. Whether brewed hot or cold, cascara is a very interesting way to enjoy another delicious part of a plant that is very dear to all of us.
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