Food-grade coffee husks (coffee cherry), pasteurized and dehydrated in a sterile environment. Commonly brewed as a tea.
| Aroma: | herbal sweetness, fruit leather, dried cherries, earthy, red wine |
|---|---|
| Acidity: | tart, lively |
| Flavor/Nuances: | dried fruit, malt, white wine, golden raisin, apricot, red cherries, plum, genmaicha tea, miso, soft cranberry |
| Sweetness: | high sweetness up front, herbal like, syrupy |
| Body/Mouthfeel: | silky, wine like |
| Origin: | Costa Rica |
|---|---|
| Region: | Llano Bonita de Naranjo |
| Farm: | Finca Santa Lucía, Finca Anonos |
| Variety: | Caturra, Catuai, Villa Lobos |
Helsar de Zarcero Micromill is owned by Richardo Pérez and brothers Felipe and Marvin Rodriguez, and was built in the early 2000s in order to control the processing (and therefore the quality) of their farms.Since 2012, the University of Costa Rica and Helsar Micromill have been researching the possibility of creating food-grade cascara using modern technology, pasteurization, and specialization. In an interesting role-reversal, the coffees used here were picked specifically to produce cascara—the coffee seeds are the “by-product” in this unique case! Caturra, Catuai, and Villalobos coffees from fincas Santa Lucía and Anonos in Naranjo, Costa Rica, comprise this special lot.
After being harvested, the cherries are transported on the same day to a facility to be specially processed: The seeds in their mucilage are whisked away, but the removed pulp is washed, pasteurized, and dehydrated in a sterile environment to keep it free of pathogens, debris, and other not-delicious stuff commonly found in “regular” cascara.
Copyright © 2020 - Mill City Roasters, LLC
Kenneth Harden
OK, let me start by saying it is hard to review the actual product (taste) because I have never had it before! The tasting notes provided are accurate, though I don’t read ‘sweet’ as being sweet like sugar, it is sweet for an unsweetened product. Don’t be scared of it having some shocking, radical flavor, it does not, it is something new and enjoyable to try.
What I am reviewing is how Mill City created this product. Watch the YouTube video (search ‘mill city cascara’ on YouTube) for the details. The summary is this product is purpose-grown to be cascara (which is generally a waste product of coffee production). As a result, you get a very high-quality product that is safe and I have to assume better than most. As such, you are not just buying a good product, but you are supporting people doing something a bit special and interesting, and that’s pretty cool!