Country: Nicaragua
Region: Peñas Blancas, Matagalpa
Farm: Finca la Flor
Farmer/Grower: Haroldo Atlamirano
Varieties: Catimor
Processing: Natural (before separating and drying husks)
Altitude: 1200 m.a.s.l.
Harvest Date: January, 2021
Arrival Date: August, 2021
Marks: 017-0411-0164
20 grams dried coffee husk
300 milliliters filtered water at 90°C (200°F)
Steep for 6:00 minutes
Filter and enjoy!
Adjust to taste.
130 grams dried coffee husk
1 liter filtered water (at room temperature)
Steep for 24 hours in the refrigerator
Filter and enjoy!
Adjust to taste.
In our experience, the best tasting cáscara comes from coffees that were properly dried using the natural/dry processing method with the husks removed from the coffee seeds after the coffee is completely dry. The coffee husks can then be separated and sorted to be brewed as a tea-like beverage. The cup is very unique and not exactly tea and certainly not coffee.
Cáscara is packed full of antioxidants and has relatively low caffeine content compared to brewed coffee (roughly 30mg per standard serving).
Being a very unique ingredient, cáscara can be used in higher concentrations to make delicious syrups, cocktails and mocktails!
The Farm rests on the slopes of the Peñas Blancas mountains just north of the town of La Dalia.
which is about 20 manzanas in size (about 14 hectares). Marsellesa and catimor are the primary varieties of coffee being grown. After hand-picking only ripe cherry, Haroldo Altamirano processes these as both washed and natural. The husk, or “cascara” is also separated from the cherry processed coffee to be offered as a type of tea drink.
Don Haroldo and his family have had a rich history of growth, loss and rebuilding over the years. We have been working with Finca La Flor through our connection with Haroldo’s son, Ernesto Altamirano, for many years. The Altamirano family is currently developing a health clinic to provide care for the farm’s employees and their families.
The area around the farm suffered a devastating loss of life and property when both hurricanes Eta and Iota hit Nicaragua in late 2020. Ernesto and local Southern California LatinX community leaders came together to provide aid in Nicaragua and other hard-hit Central American countries. Thanks to your support during our T-Shirt drive, Hacea Coffee Source was able to sponsor the rebuilding of the roof on the employee lodging structure, which was lost during the storms.