Coffee husk

Specialty Coffee Cascara | Cascara Tea

What is the coffee cascara?

While this tea revolutionized the way we enjoy coffee, some people may have not have even heard of this yet. Coffee producers are now paying extra attention to its preparation, this is a coffee subproduct sourced only in coffee farms but that has won hearts locally and internationally. For some, paying attention to producing the best quality cascara, could bring coffee producers an extra lucrative monetary reward.

Coffee Cascara does not come from the Camellia Sinensis plant, therefore we cannot call it a tea. This husk or cascara peel is considered a tisane. Under our offerings, this is a new type of tisane we didnt have before; Coffee Cascara is a Fruit Tisane.

What is Coffee Cascara? Cascara is the dried pulp, the red skin of the coffee fruit. When coffee cherries arrive at the wet mill, they are depulped and both cascara and coffee seed are put to dry. While coffee may or may not go through different processes there, cascara dries completely and may be infused in so many ways it is a delicious drink, prepared hot, iced, frozen, as a mocktail, the possibilities are endless.

How is Cascara processed?

At Academia Barista Pro, we have tasted for years this product and found that each producer has their own method to prepare it. But the big flavor contributor is definitely picking the ripest and best coffee cherries from the best coffees in the farm. The sweeter the cherries, the best cascara you will end up with. The fact that if you work hard to find only the best beans for this purpose, and clean it from impurities all the way, the results will be amazing 100% of the time. We have gotten better result with coffees above 1250 masl. We are eager to support this processes, as they may allow the coffee plant to finally be reused in a creative and eco-friendly way.

When dried, cascara has a similar appearance to leather, it is brown in color and is very aromatic. Its sweet fragrance is reminiscent to its sweet-fruity flavor.

For the most part, cascara is not used at all. Normally, cascara is left to rot and discarded as garbage, it may be used as part of compost, or to feed livestock. We are hoping this will change in the future, as more and more producers learn how to process great cascara.

It has been a joy to finally promote cascara products from El Salvador. We've tried some great cascara, from new crop and it was so delicious, we decided to give you the opportunity to join our offerings with good reason. At Academia Barista Pro we are promoting you try cascara this infusion. It can vary drastically in flavor depending on origin, process, variety, mucilage, etc.

It is usually described with a particular sweetness such as rose hip, floral such as hibiscus flower, fruity like cherry, tamarind and mango. But the palette of flavors may as wide as the coffee wheel of SCA. Some delicious cascara may singularly taste like peach, spices and papaya.

The interesting thing is that despite the fact that a roasted coffee has a high caffeine content, Square Mile Coffee verified in the laboratory identified that cascara is quite the opposite (111.4 mg / L caffeine) and is indifferent to the time it infuses in water and the amount used.

On 2021, we have partnered with two renowned producers in El Salvador. They both have mastered the cascara preparation we sought after and prepared us an incredible array of offerings this year. As we receive these, we will be sharing with you on social media and on this page all the details.

Pacamara Cascara

Variety: Red Pacamara⁣
Farm: SIBERIA⁣
Beneficio: San Pedro⁣
Height: 1550 masl⁣
Producer: Rafa Silva
Process: African Bed Drying in Shade⁣
⁣

This coffee Cascara was prepared to us by Beneficio San Pedro of SICAFE. From the moment I mentioned that I wanted this product, they set up the entire operation to dry some incredibly fruity Pacamara Cascara from Finca Siberia, this is not the only one we are looking forward to receiving this year. There are two more coming. ⁣
⁣
The process seems simple, but it is not just depulping and drying. It requires prior knowledge of preparation, selection and drying. At the end, SICAFE set up special tables to clean impurities by hand. Very grateful for the effort and it was definitely worth it! This Pacamara cascara is deliciously sweet, with notes of ripe red fruits, tamarind and spicy notes at the end.

Gesha Cascara

The Gesha variety is native to Gesha village in Ethiopia, area known as Keffa province. Although its popularity does not arise from its native country but rather from Panama, Gesha is known as one of the most sought-after and highest paid varieties in the world. But what is so special about it? Its cupping profile is synonymous with a bouquet of flowers and tropical fruits. Intense florals that remind us of jasmine, roses, lavender and orchids. Its delicate perfume is accompanied by citrus notes of sweet lemon, lime and tropical fruits, among others. It is a captivating coffee that dazzles. The Gesha Cascara comes from Finca los Pirineos, Tablón la Cumbre at 1500 meters above sea level.
⁣
This cascara was depulped after undergoing Anaerobic fermentation, dried in African beds in the sun for several days at Beneficio Tecapa.

Rume Sudan Cascara

Rume Sudan is an extremely rare variety, with a unique flavor profile, very low productivity. A wild coffee originating from the RUME, southeast of Sudan, bordering Ethiopia. It is a natural mutation of the Bourbon family, but with a totally different and delicious cup profile of tropical fruits combined with spices, something very peculiar and unique. Imagine trying a fruit cocktail, pitahaya, peaches, pears, apples, kiwi, etc. The Rume Sudan cascara comes from Finca Las Palmas. This coffee grows at 1480 meters above sea level.

This cascara was depulped after undergoing Anaerobic fermentation, dried in African beds in the sun for several days at Beneficio Tecapa.