What is cascara?

Cascara - from the Spanish for 'husk' or 'shell' - is the dried skin and pulp of the coffee cherry, produced as a by-product of wet processing. When coffee cherries are pulped at the wet mill, the outer skin and fruit flesh are removed and typically discarded or composted. Cascara is produced when this material is instead collected, dried, and prepared for use.

The dried cascara can be brewed as a tea-like infusion - steeped in hot water to produce a light, fruity drink with notes of hibiscus, tamarind, and rose hip, and a gentle caffeine content lower than brewed coffee. It has a long history of traditional use in Yemen, where it's known as qishr (often made with ginger and spices), and in Bolivia and Brazil.

In specialty coffee, cascara has attracted growing interest as both a sustainable use of processing by-product and a distinct product category in its own right. For producers, selling cascara rather than composting the pulp represents additional income from the same harvest. For buyers and roasters, it's increasingly appearing on menus and in product ranges as an alternative to traditional coffee drinks. In the EU, cascara was approved as a novel food in 2022, which has opened the door to broader commercial development in European markets.