Cascara Tea (What is it and How to Make it at Home)

A coffee fruit has two parts to it; the seed which is the inner part also known as the bean and the pericarp (outer part). The pericarp comprises the berry skin, the pulp, and the parchment or the hull that covers the bean.

*** Coffee beans are seeds that constitute part of a coffee fruit ***

Oftentimes, coffee pulp or coffee cherry refers to both the berry skin and the inner fleshy part.

In this article, we focus on the pulp (berry skin and inner fleshy part) and how you can brew some refreshing tea with it.

What is Cascara Tea?

Cascara tea is a herbal drink that is brewed using dried coffee pulp. Dried coffee skins resemble large tea leaves. You can crush them further using a mortar and pestle or by grinding them.

Cascara tea is also known as coffee cherry tea or coffee fruit tea

You can make both hot tea and cascara cold brew with coffee fruit tea.

What Does Cascara Tea Taste Like

It has a sweet, herbal taste with some floral hints of cherry, rose, and hibiscus. It has a similar taste to herbal tea and does not taste like coffee at all. Cascara is a proven source of antioxidants and has traces of caffeine.

How Much Caffeine is in Cascara?

Cascara is mildly caffeinated. There is about 25mg of caffeine in a cup of cascara tea or cascara coffee which is comparable to the amount of caffeine in regular tea.

How to Make Cascara Tea

Making cascara tea is as easy as steeping 3 tablespoons of cascara tea husks in 10 ounces of hot water for 4-5 minutes. You can use a regular strainer, or a tea infuser to steep the husks, or simply add the husks to hot water and strain after five minutes.

How to Make Cascara Cold Brew in 3 Simple Steps

Cascara cold brew is different from the Starbucks cold brew drink that was topped with the cascara-infused cold foam that was discontinued.

Cascara cold brew is concentrated herbal tea that is brewed with cold water and dried coffee skins.

Equipment

• Teaspoon
• Mason Jar with a lid

Materials

• Filtered cold water
• Coffee fruit tea leaves

Instructions

1. Add 6 tablespoons of coffee fruit tea to a jar
2. Add 12 fluid ounces of cold water
3. Leave the mixture for 12-16 hours in the pantry or 18-24 hours in the fridge.

How to Use Cascara Cold Brew

1. Dilute and drink it cold. Strong cascara tea has a repulsive tannic and bitter taste so be sure to dilute cold-brew cascara to your taste before drinking. You may add some ice cubes to make iced cascara tea
2. Add cascara cold brew to cold brew coffee. Some people prefer combining cold-brew cascara with two parts of cold brew coffee to add antioxidants while keeping the caffeine content low. You can also add cascara tea leaves to ground coffee at a ratio of 1:2 or 1:3 when making cold brew coffee instead of brewing the tea and coffee separately.
3. Make iced cascara latte. Add two ounces of cascara cold brew concentrate to a cup of ice and milk, and add cascara syrup or your choice of sweetener.
4. Make hot tea. Warm cascara cold brew and dilute to drink it hot. Avoid boiling or scorching it when heating
5. Use the concentrate to make cascara topping and cascara syrup
6. Freeze cascara cold brew and add the ice cubes to iced tea or iced coffee

Cascara Tea Benefits

Although it’s called tea, cascara drink is more coffee than tea. Cascara tea gets its name from the dried coffee husks that resemble tea leaves.

Since cascara tea comes from the coffee cherry, it has similar health benefits to coffee. Here are five health benefits of cascara

1. Pepping Up Effect

Cascara tea gives a moderate dose of caffeine to your body to boost your energy in the morning. Since it’s low in caffeine, it is an excellent alternative to coffee to pep yourself in the afternoon or evening without risking a sleepless night.

2. Cascara Tea Aids Bowel Movement

Drinking cascara tea can eliminate problems associated with your bowel movement. Caffeine, like fiber, boosts the urge to poop.

3. Cascara Tea Antioxidant Benefits

Studies have shown cascara is rich in antioxidants that have anti-inflammatory, anticancer, and anti-aging properties. The antioxidants can also improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance in obese cases.

4. Cascara Tea Can Boost Brain Function and Health

A study has suggested that the compounds in cascara can improve the levels of BDNF and reduce the risk of brain impairment.

5. Cascara is Good For Your Skin

Drinking cascara tea adds to your fluid intake which is essential to maintaining healthy skin. Cascara tea hydrates you and also provides your body with Vitamins C and E which promote healthy skin.

Wrap Up

Cascara tea is more coffee than tea as it is brewed using dried coffee cherry. Cascara tea has similar benefits to your health as coffee but is low on caffeine.