So what is this cascara anyways and why is it so good for you? Cascara means “husk” in Spanish and it is the fruit that surrounds the coffee bean (also known as the coffee cherry). These cherries are harvested and processed as part of the process to harvest the coffee bean. Usually this yummy fruit is ignored and used for agricultural purposes or just wasted. If you think about how much coffee there is to go around, think about how much fruit that is left behind! So we here at TeeGlee take the fruit when it's at its most delicious and dry it right away so we don’t lose any of that delicious flavor or amazing quality!
Cascara is a tisane or herbal tea but, like coffee, has some caffeine. However, the amount is much lower, studies have shown it to have about 25mg per cup as opposed to 80-90mg for a cup of coffee. This means you can enjoy cascara tea all day and stay alert without the harsh highs and lows of coffee (no more anxiety-inducing coffee binges for me thanks!). Don’t let the lower caffeine content fool you though, cascara tea makes you feel energized. Trust me, I wouldn’t drink it if it didn’t give me the boost I need in my busy schedule! You might be asking why that is, and well it's because cascara is the fruit that keeps on giving!
Unlike coffee or black/green teas, cascara is hydrating which keeps your body happy and your skin glowing. It is jam packed with antioxidants to help your body fight against free radicals, even more so than the crowd favorite blueberries! (Now get ready, we are going into some technical science talk!) This is because it’s full of polyphenols and if you don't know that is, let me put it simply, polyphenols help fight diseases and fight inflammation in your body. Cascara also increases BNDF or brain-derived neurotrophic factor, a protein that helps protect your neurons, making this tea neuroprotective. At this point you might be thinking “What can’t this tea do? It can give me the caffeine boost I need, hydrate me, keep me healthy, AND it reduces waste in our environment?”. The answer is YES it can do all that and more! So give our delicious cascara a try and have your tea with glee!
