We all know and love coffee- the sweet little bean that we grind to brew our cups of go-juice in the morning. But what about coffee cherries? They deserve some love too!
Coffee Cherries- What Are They?
Coffee Cherries are the fruit that the coffee bean comes from! They start out small and green, and as they ripen they plump up and turn beautiful shades of red and
purple.
Coffee Cherries are incredibly high in antioxidants, providing eight times more antioxidants than the blueberries!! Coffee cherries even surpass acai and pomegranate in terms of antioxidant levels.
What Does Coffee Cherry Taste Like?
Coffee Cherries taste mildly sweet and refreshing, with notes of hibiscus and cranberry. It really has such a unique flavor of its own!
What Are Coffee Cherries Used For?
Not enough, as far as we are concerned! After harvesting, the coffee cherries are (usually!) discarded during processing of the bean. Most smaller scale farms return the discarded cherries to the fields to enrich the soil for their coffee plants, but it is common for larger-scale farms and processing plants to toss it away entirely!
The small percentage that isn't discarded or returned to the fields, however, is delicious.
Lucky for us, our coffee importer managed to get his hands on a small amount of dried coffee cherry!
How Can I Use Coffee Cherries At Home?
OOOOOOOH boy, I thought you'd never ask!
At Foggdukkers, our favorite ways to use coffee cherries are in tea and syrups. And, fun fact, Coffee Cherry Tea is similar to Black Tea in terms of the amount of caffeine it contains!
For tea: Steep 1-2 tbsp of dried Coffee Cherries in some hot water for a few minutes. Enjoy the tea hot or iced! We like to add in some citrus, honey, and sometimes cinnamon for a little extra yum! My personal favorite is to add some sugar and a little bit of orange. It's just heavenly!
for syrup: Heat 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup water, and 1/3 a cup of dried Coffee Cherries in a sauce pan until the sugar is dissolved and the flavor of the cherries has been released. Remove from heat and let cool before pouring through a strainer if desired (to remove the cherries). Store in fridge for up to 4 months. Use in place of simple syrup in iced tea, baking, cocktails, and more!
Before you just toss away the plumped coffee cherries from your tea or syrup, try adding them to your baked goods! They are an excellent addition to muffins, scones, and much more!
I hope you give our Coffee Cherry tea a try, and love it just as we do!
-Amber from FoggDukkers