What is cascara and is it safe to drink?

Cascara is the dried fruit skin and pulp of the coffee cherry — the part that's removed and usually discarded during coffee processing. It's been consumed for centuries in coffee-growing regions (as 'qishr' in Yemen, 'hashara' in Ethiopia). The EU approved it as a novel food in 2022. It's safe, naturally caffeinated, and increasingly available from specialty tea and coffee retailers.

Does coffee fruit tea have less caffeine than coffee?

Yes — about 25mg per cup compared to coffee's 80-100mg. The caffeine concentrates in the seed (the coffee bean), not in the surrounding fruit. This makes cascara a good option for afternoon drinking or for people reducing caffeine intake. It's roughly comparable to black tea in caffeine content.

What does cascara taste like compared to coffee?

Nothing like coffee. Cascara tastes like a naturally sweet fruit tea — dominant dried date and raisin flavors with floral and honey notes. No bitterness, no roasted character. The coffee flavor we know comes entirely from roasting the seed at 350-450°F; since the fruit is only dried at low temperatures, it retains its original bright, fruity sweetness.

Where can I buy coffee fruit tea?

Specialty coffee roasters and tea retailers are the best sources — look for brands like Verve, Stumptown, or dedicated cascara sellers online. Some grocery stores carry it in the specialty tea section. Check for a harvest or production date; like any dried fruit product, cascara loses flavor over time. Buy from sellers who move volume so you're getting a fresher product.

Coffee Fruit Tea vs Regular Coffee: Side-by-Side Taste Test

While browsing teas, we found something unusual: coffee fruit tea — a tea brewed from the dried fruit of the coffee plant. It supposedly tastes like coffee. We put that claim to a side-by-side test.

What Is Coffee Fruit Tea?

Cascara (Spanish for “husk”) is made from the dried fruit of the coffee cherry — the part that’s usually discarded after the bean is extracted. When coffee beans are harvested, the fruit pulp and skin are typically thrown away. Cascara turns that waste into a genuinely interesting beverage.

The pieces look like shriveled raisins with a deep reddish-brown color. The aroma is dried dates with subtle fruity, floral notes. Nothing bitter.

Brewing: Two tablespoons per 8 oz water. Hot brew: steep 5-10 minutes. Cold brew: steep 24 hours.

Why It Doesn’t Taste Like Coffee

The flavor difference comes down to one step: roasting. Coffee beans undergo 350-450°F+ heat that creates hundreds of chemical reactions — caramelizing sugars, breaking down proteins, generating the bitter, toasty, complex flavors we call “coffee.” You can read more about this process in our guide to how coffee is roasted.

The fruit never gets roasted. It’s dried at low temperatures, retaining its original bright, fruity, sweet character — the opposite profile of roasted coffee.

The Taste Test

Coffee Fruit Tea

Dominant flavor: a strong date-like sweetness — natural, not added. Very smooth, no bitterness, no harshness. The body was darker than most teas, giving it the visual appearance of coffee. Clean finish, slightly lingering, with subtle floral notes and a whisper of honey.

What impressed us most was the balance. Each sip reveals layers without being aggressive — refined rather than punchy.

Regular Brewed Coffee (Black)

Unmistakably coffee. Standard bitterness, typical body, characteristic aroma. But honestly? Not particularly exceptional on its own. It needed something — cream, sugar, time for your palate to adjust.

This isn’t a knock against coffee. It’s just an observation that most people don’t drink black coffee because they love the pure flavor. They drink it for the caffeine, the ritual, or because they’ve developed a taste for it.

JayArr Coffee

Same Plant, Completely Different Drink

Coffee fruit tea (cascara) vs. regular brewed coffee

	Coffee Fruit Tea (Cascara)	Regular Black Coffee
Flavor	Date-like natural sweetness, floral, honey notes	Roasted bitterness, complex, characteristic
Texture	Smooth, no harshness	Standard body, may need additions
Caffeine	About 25mg per cup	About 80-100mg per cup
Drinkable black?	Yes — enjoyable without additions	For most people, better with cream or sugar
Antioxidants	50% more than cranberries	High — also a strong antioxidant source
Our pick	Surprise winner	Runner-up

The coffee flavor we know comes entirely from roasting the seed at 350–450°F. The fruit retains its original sweetness.

The Surprise Verdict

Given the choice between plain black coffee and this coffee fruit tea, we’d pick the tea. That’s surprising coming from a coffee company.

The cascara is enjoyable on its own, without any additions. The regular coffee felt like it needed doctoring. When you have to alter a drink to make it satisfying, that tells you something.

Does It Actually Taste Like Coffee?

No. You’d know it wasn’t coffee. But you probably wouldn’t be disappointed. Think of it as a sophisticated, naturally sweet fruit tea that happens to come from the coffee plant.

Caffeine and Health

Cascara contains about 25mg caffeine per cup — roughly a third of coffee and similar to black tea. The caffeine concentrates in the seed (bean), not the fruit.

This makes cascara useful if you’re caffeine-sensitive, cutting back, or want an afternoon drink that won’t wreck your sleep. If you’re exploring caffeine reduction more broadly, how coffee is decaffeinated is worth understanding too.

On the health side, cascara is remarkably rich in polyphenols (50% more antioxidants than cranberries), contains about 21% dietary fiber by weight (extraordinarily high — wheat flour is 1-2%), and research published in Cambridge University Press found that coffee fruit extracts increase BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), which supports neuroplasticity and memory.

Who Should Try It

Coffee lovers seeking variety — completely new experience from the same plant
Afternoon drinkers — enough substance to feel like a real beverage, not enough caffeine to keep you up
People reducing caffeine — a natural bridge between coffee and herbal tea
Minimalists — requires nothing added to be satisfying

If you go in expecting coffee, you’ll be let down. If you go in expecting a sophisticated fruit tea, you’ll be delighted. For more context on everything the coffee cherry can become, our coffee processing methods guide explains the full spectrum.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is cascara and is it safe to drink?: Cascara is the dried fruit skin and pulp of the coffee cherry — the part that's removed and usually discarded during coffee processing. It's been consumed for centuries in coffee-growing regions (as 'qishr' in Yemen, 'hashara' in Ethiopia). The EU approved it as a novel food in 2022. It's safe, naturally caffeinated, and increasingly available from specialty tea and coffee retailers.
Does coffee fruit tea have less caffeine than coffee?: Yes — about 25mg per cup compared to coffee's 80-100mg. The caffeine concentrates in the seed (the coffee bean), not in the surrounding fruit. This makes cascara a good option for afternoon drinking or for people reducing caffeine intake. It's roughly comparable to black tea in caffeine content.
What does cascara taste like compared to coffee?: Nothing like coffee. Cascara tastes like a naturally sweet fruit tea — dominant dried date and raisin flavors with floral and honey notes. No bitterness, no roasted character. The coffee flavor we know comes entirely from roasting the seed at 350-450°F; since the fruit is only dried at low temperatures, it retains its original bright, fruity sweetness.
Where can I buy coffee fruit tea?: Specialty coffee roasters and tea retailers are the best sources — look for brands like Verve, Stumptown, or dedicated cascara sellers online. Some grocery stores carry it in the specialty tea section. Check for a harvest or production date; like any dried fruit product, cascara loses flavor over time. Buy from sellers who move volume so you're getting a fresher product.