Our delicious cascara from Guatemala is back!
This time they came back in a much finer grind which helps easier, quicker, and a lot more vibrant extraction.
To celebrate this happy reunion, we will tell you all about this superfood specialty coffee lovers have been talking about- “what’s cascara?” and “how to drink cascara”, including how we brew it at Kurasu cafe. Enjoy!
How Do I Drink Cascara?
One of the best ways to enjoy cascara is to brew it with hot water like tea. At Kurasu, we brew cascara tea using our fav HARIO Switch Dripper to brew the juicy, sweet goodness out of the fruit. We also love making cascara syrup and mixing it with soda, and some grind the dried cascara into fine powder and use them for baking.
The tangy but round acidity reminds us of plum, and the juicy fruitiness is simply exquisite.
Drinking cascara not only gives us a wonderful reminder that coffee is indeed a fruit, but also sheds light on the fact that consumers and the coffee industry alike can do so much better for the world than throwing away such a great tasting product as a waste.
How to Make Cascara Tea
Brewing delicious cascara is really quite simple and doesn't require any techniques. Today we will share two kinds of recipes: how we brew with HARIO Switch at Kurasu cafes, and a simple recipe that requires only a server and a tea strainer.
How to Brew Cascara Tea with HARIO Switch Dripper
- Set a paper filter on HARIO Switch Dripper, and rinse the filter.
- Add 9g of cascara into the dripper.
- Make sure the lever is up (closed), and pour 200ml of hot water, and start a timer. At Kurasu, we use 92℃ hot water for this recipe.
- After a minute, lift the dripper and gently swirl 3 times, letting the water content brush and wash the inner wall of the dripper. This will create a gentle convection. Push down the lever and release the water.
- When the timer hits 1:30 lift the lever to close and it’s ready to serve.
How to Brew Cascara Tea with a Server and a Tea Strainer
- Add 9g of cascara directly into a server, and pour 200ml of hot water over it. Start the timer.
- After a minute, give it a little stir, and strain the tea into a mug.
Both methods here make a great cup of cascara tea, but we especially love and recommend using HARIO Switch for the ultra-easy control of the brewing/steeping time. Simply by pushing the lever when the time's right, a beautifully brewed tea makes itself by capturing the juicy sweet flavor of the cascara. Also by using a paper filter, it gives the liquid a clarity and vibrant taste, whereas tea strainer tends to let fine powder through and makes a little more cloudy cup. (Also the paper filter makes the washing so easy!)
When you get hold of our beautiful cascara grown in the bright sunshine of Guatemala, please try out these recipes to enjoy the cascara tea. If you explore other ways of using cascara, do share them with us- we are looking forward to knowing what you think!
