Coffee industry drums up interest in coffee cherry tea
After introducing coffee leaf tea, the coffee industry is turning to coffee cherry tea to highlight the diversity of the Coffea plant. Coffee cherry tea, also called cascara, is a tea-like infusion of coffee husks that are usually discarded and end up as compost. The tea-like infusion has recently been gaining awareness for its hibiscus-like smell, fruity flavor and caffeine levels similar to those of black tea. Cascara now appears on drink menus across several states and is even used as an ingredient in cocktails and beer. Similar to nose to tail eating, the niche drink is part of a broader trend of extracting more interesting flavors and rediscovering new consumption methods of plants and animals. Historically, cascara has been consumed in Yemen and Ethiopia.