Cascara is essentially the dried skin of coffee cherries. It is used as a base ingredient for making “coffee tea” or for creative signature cocktails. When brewed with boiling water, the drink tastes very similar to a compote of cherries, rosehips, and assorted fruits. The tea is rich in antioxidants and contains a high amount of caffeine.

The recipe is simple: use about 15 grams of boiling water for every 1 gram of cascara. For example, brew 20 grams of cascara with 300 grams of water for about 5–10 minutes — and it’s ready! We recommend first rinsing the cherries with hot water, then brewing and filtering them through a paper filter (such as when making coffee in aClever Dripper). Finally, enjoy this juicy, fruity drink that can invigorate you just as much as coffee beans!

This cascara is made from cherries grown on the world-renowned Sonora farm. Located at the foothills of the Poás Volcano, the farm thrives with extraordinary biodiversity. Spanning 100 hectares, it combines renewable energy, sustainable farming practices, and an exceptional terroir. Imagine — the farm is powered by a hydroelectric generator that transforms energy from a river! This generator supplies electricity to the wet and dry mills, as well as to all the residents and workers on the farm.

This cascara comes from the Villa Sarchi coffee variety, originally from the village of Sarchí, just a few kilometers from Sonora. Notably, it is the first natural mutation of the Bourbon variety. A single altered gene causes the plant to grow shorter than the original Bourbon. It is well adapted to local conditions, withstands windy weather, and produces excellent cup quality.

The Diego Guardia family has owned the farm for more than a century. Since the 1970s, coffee has been their main livelihood. In 1999, Alberto Guardia invested in a processing station to focus more on quality — at a time when coffee prices were at historic lows. During those years, he became a pioneer of specialty processing methods, such as honey and natural processing.

With decades of invaluable experience, Sonora is now home to more than 20 coffee varieties. Diverse processing methods and carefully selected fertilizers complement its remarkable terroir.

This Sonora cascara is incredibly juicy, with fresh notes of apple and sweet hints of honey and dried fruit.