Coffee Cherry Tea

Kona Coffee & Tea now offers Coffee Cherry Tea from our farm in Kona mailed directly to you with Aloha.

Have you been hearing people talk about coffee cherry tea? It has been getting a lot of attention and recognition over the last few years. Coffee cherry tea is a tea made from the husks of the coffee cherry. Coffee cherry husks are a rich and flavorful byproduct of coffee production. Most farms currently recycle their coffee cherry husks back into the farm as fertilizer or compost. Though, there are a few growing regions, such as Ethiopia and Yemen in Africa, that have long utilized the fruit husk as a hot tea-like beverage. In Yemen, for example, the husks are blended with ginger and cinnamon bark to make a hot tea called qishr. The name cascara, which is Spanish for husk, has become a common name for a hot tea brewed from coffee cherry husks.

CASCARA

Cascara tea is becoming exceedingly common around the globe. Though the fruit of the coffee cherry is the actual source of caffeine for the seed or coffee bean, tea made from the cascara has only about one-quarter of the caffeine content compared to a cup of coffee. Much like coffee, cascara tends to be high in antioxidants. Researchers are currently looking into the anti-inflammatory, anti-aging, and immune-boosting properties of cascara.

BREWING

Kona Coffee & Tea is excited to introduce to you our Estate, 100% Kona Coffee Cherry Tea. Our coffee cherry husks or cascara are freed from the bean during the pulping process of coffee production and then dried and packaged to ship worldwide to all you 100% Kona enthusiasts. The tea is brewed the same as most herbal teas, using a hot water immersion for 5-15 minutes, depending on particle size. It also makes for a great cold brew when left to brew overnight in cool water, if that is more your style. Much like coffee, the taste of cascara can vary greatly depending on origin, varietal, and processing method. Our cascara tends to have a dry, mildly fruity taste with black-tea like tannins, light acidity, and sweetness. We enjoy the distinctly Kona flavor and think you will too. It goes great with a spoonful of our estate Honey.

RECIPES

Hot

1. 1 heaping tablespoon 100% Kona Coffee Cherry Tea

2. 14 ounces filtered water just off the boil

3. Pour hot water over the coffee cherry tea and let it steep for about 5-7 minutes

Variations/Enhancements:

• sweeten with honey to taste after steeping

• steep with cinnamon bark and ginger to make your own “qishr” (see above)

• add the juice of ¼ - ½ a lemon

Cold Brew

1. Add ½ Cup of 100% Kona Coffee Cherry Tea to a quart-sized mason jar or similar container

2. Fill the jar with cold filtered water to ¾ full (20oz)

3. Place the lid on and shake vigorously

4. Leave in the refrigerator for 12-24 hours

5. Filter (we prefer no paper filter, just hold the cherry husks back and pour it into another container.

Variations/Enhancements:

• mix with your favorite fruit juice for a refreshing, uplifting treat

• ”Aloha Palmer”, add ¼ cup of simple syrup (see below), juice of ½ lemon

• ”Qishr on Ice”, make the simple syrup with grated ginger and cinnamon bark (see below) add qishr syrup to the cold-brew coffee cherry tea to taste.

Simple Syrup:

• 1-part sugar or Kona Coffee & Tea estate Honey to 1-part water

• Mix water and sugar, bring to a boil, let cool

Qishr Simple Syrup:

• 1-part sugar to 1-part water

• Add grated or chopped ginger and broken cinnamon bark and bring to a boil

• Let cool overnight with ginger and cinnamon in the mix if time allows

KONA COFFEE CHERRY TEA

SIZE: 4oz (113 g)

VARIETAL: arabica typica

ALTITUDE: 2,000 ft.

ORIGIN/FARM: Single Estate Kona Coffee & Tea Farm in Kona, Hawaii

DESCRIPTION: the dried Kona coffee cherry skins have been washed and dried in the process of milling the inner bean from the outer skin
TASTING NOTES: dry, mildly fruity taste with black-tea like tannins, light acidity, and sweetness

BREWING: hot or cold

Coffee or Tea? What do you prefer in your morning cup?
Let us know by commenting below or on social media @konacoffeeandtea

CONTRIBUTOR: MIKE CUBBAGE

HOW I LIKE MY COFFEE:  Medium Roast Black
NEW QUARANTINE HOBBY:  Bee keeping

I've been involved in the coffee industry for about 16 years. I've been a barista for many years, then a trainer and consultant. I am big on sharing relevant knowledge that will help coffee lovers have the optimal coffee experience. Working with Kona Coffee & Tea Company is like a dream come true. I can't say how rewarding it is to work with such a great product from seed to cup. From the very beginning, being part of the team here, I've felt like family and have been treated like family. The spirit of Aloha is strong as is their dedication to community and quality.