Stumptown Strange Magic Cascara Soda

Looking for a plant-based pick-me-up but not quite in the mood for coffee?

May we present: Strange Magic

A fizzy, light, bright refreshing drink made from cascara, the dried fruit of the coffee plant. It’s a little tart, a little sweet, and 100% delicious, with caffeine content about equivalent to a cup of black tea (~40mg).

What is Cascara? It’s awesome. Coffee beans are the seed of a fruit, commonly referred to as a coffee cherry. This small, fleshy fruit can vary in color based on its variety, but is most often yellow or red when ripe. The cherry itself contains caffeine (that’s how coffee gets its caffeine) and is high in antioxidants. The fruit protects its seeds as they grow and develop by deterring insects and other wildlife that could prevent the development of the seed. The process of pulping removes the seed from its cherry. When the seeds are roasted, you get coffee. But what happens to the cherries that worked so hard to protect those coffee beans? Typically, the cherry is discarded once it is separated from the seed. In some cases, coffee cherries can be turned into compost and used on the farm as fertilizer. The dried coffee cherries became referred to as Cascara – or “husk” in Spanish.

Cascara tastes nothing like coffee when brewed. Because it’s brewed from a dried fruit, it most closely relates to an herbal tea. Like coffee, the variety of the coffee cherry, where it’s grown, when it’s picked, how it’s processed, and brewed all has a strong influence on its flavor, body, and acidity. Typically, there is a naturally sweet component to the flavor profile that may be complimented by a tangy or floral component.