Cascara, which means “husk,” “peel” or “skin” in Spanish, is the dried skin of coffee cherries. These pulped skins are collected after the seeds have been removed from the cherries. They are then dried in the sun. Among many attributes, cascara offers a very nice low caffeine alternative with a very sweet profile, notes of hibiscus and rose…

For many years, Cascara was considered in Europe as a “ novel food”. A 1997 EU law states that any ‘novel’ food — that is, one that hadn’t already been widely consumed in the EU before the law came into effect — must be proven safe before it can be sold.

In other words, cascara was not officially legalized in Europe but neither prohibited… This law void made it very confusing for many actors on the coffee chain.

Since June 2021, The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) delivered a long technical report to the European Commission (EC) that paves the way for cascara beverages to be sold in the EU starting in September 2021.

Last year we started to explore cascara by importing from Finca Las Lajas in Costa Rica. We have been super pleased with the quality and the results in cup. Needless to say that we will import again with the upcoming crop.

If you are willing to know more or if you have any interest, please contact us on the following link. This will help us to better forecast our purchase and supply your needs.

I am interested!

For tips on how to brew cascara, click here.