About Bolivia Organic Cascara
Cascara is the dried skin or husk of the coffee cherry and it has become popular as "tea" in its own right. It contains caffeine like the rest of the cherry and the amount of caffeine in the cup varies by the strength of the brew. Cascara doesn't really taste like roasted coffee but more like the concentrated coffee fruit itself. There is a cherry like taste and sweetness.
While Cascara is not yet a widely distributed product in its own right there are a few things to learn. Most Cascara is produced from Natural process coffees so that the skins are a naturally occuring by-product of dry method processing. The entire cherry is dried and instead of milling the skin off in fragments it is peeled away as whole as feasible. This Cascara is derived from washed coffee so it has more brightness. The coffee is grown by a producer of fine micro lots on a farm located at 1600 meters. The full washing process begins with separating the outer skin also known as depulping. The beans continue on to fermentation to remove the pulp or mucilage, then washed. That separated skin is dried on raised beds until fully dry and that is the Cascara.
You can brew Cascara to various strengths but start with about 6 grams per 8 ounces of water and adjust to your taste. Steep for 3 to 5 minutes. You might experiment with different ratios and water temperature. Steep the Cascara with water then either let it settle to the bottom of the cup (you can have a second infusion) or strain. The resulting beverage is a medium to dark red depending upon strength (ratio water to Cascara).
Bolivia Coffee Facts
Population (2013): 10.5 Million People
Coffee Production: 120,000 bags (60 kg)
Country bag capacity: 132 pounds
Domestic Consumption: 20,000 bags
Coffee Export: 100,000 bags
Cultivated Area: 14,740 Hectares (36,000 acres)
Harvest:
April to August
Specialty Coffees: Much of the coffee is processed
at cooperatives, some of which are Fair Trade certified.
Botanical Varietals: Caturra, Typica, Criollo.
Comments
Approximately 30,000 families rely on coffee for their livelihood. Bolivia is the poorest nation in South America.