For the coffee lover, cascara tea may just win you over. Cascara is the Spanish term for the skin or peel of a fruit. Cascara Tea is made from the coffee cherry peel which the coffee bean comes from and can be found through your local coffee roasters. Okay it's not a true tea (doesn't come from the camellia sinensis tea plant), so don't worry. It's made from 100 percent coffee ingredients and therefore, is a bit on the strong side for this tea lover. My friends at Adair Kithen and Bebidas have put in a special request for a cascara tea blend. Had a try at it and created two cascara concentrate tea blends that would be liked by both coffee and tea drinkers. Tea makes everything better. Recipes below.

1. Cascara & Hibiscus Blend:

Ingredients: 1 oz cascara, 1 oz rose hips, 0.5 oz hibiscus, 0.5 orange peel, water

Instructions for cold brew:

Pour cascara tea blend into coffee or tea press with 12 oz. water at 208 degrees Fahrenheit
Wait 10 minutes, press down on filter
Place in fridge overnight or for at least 10 hours
Pour into a separate pitcher, filtering out the cascara tea blend
Pour into a shaker or cup and add water to dilute to your preference. Add honey or agave to taste.
Shake with ice, sip and enjoy.

Instructions for hot brew:

Pour cascara tea blend into coffee or tea press with 16 oz. water at 208 degrees Fahrenheit
Wait 10 minutes, press down on filter
Pour desired amount into cup, add honey or agave to taste, sip and enjoy.

2. Cascara & Rooibos Blend:

Ingredients: 1 oz cascara, 1 oz rooibos, 0.5 orange peel, 0.5 elderflower, water

Instructions: Same as above.

Cascara can be found at your local coffee roasters.

Cascara, hibiscus, rose hips, orange peel blend.

Cold brewing Cascara & Hibiscus blend on left, Cascara & Rooibos blend on right.

Cascara & Hibiscus iced tea on the left, Cascara & Rooibos iced tea on the right... Yum!