by michaelbenis on Wed Apr 13, 2011 12:48 pm Every coffee enthusiast who is curious about the coffee plant and coffee history owes it to themselves to try this, currently on the market thanks to Square Mile roasters in London: it's not coffee beans but the dried cherries of Mauritania Cascara.
Open the 350g packet and you see the dried broken cherries from which the beans were removed, slightly red and looking a little like rosehips.
You prepare them as a tea-like infusion, getting a light brew which also has a colour that is close to a rosehip tea, only a little darker and slightly more coffee-like in appearance, accompanied by fruity coffee aromas. The taste is nothing like any form of brew prepared from coffee beans, however, being much milder, like a delicate fruit tea (which it is, of course). All of which makes the caffeine kick even more of a surprise - and make no mistake it will kick. Square Mile describe it as "impressively caffeinated" and believe you me that is about as impressive an English understatement as your are likely to find.
Not surprisingly this cherry infusion is supposed to be one of the oldest ways of preparing a drink from the coffee plant. It's well worth taking a step back in time and giving it a try. You will never feel the same about those "innocent" little coffee berries again.
Cheers
Mike
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