Did you know that coffee beans are actually the seeds of the cherries that grows on coffee trees? That's cool, but what does the cherry taste like, you might ask? Well here is your chance to find out!

As a byproduct of the Natural process, farmers are often left with a lot of dried coffee cherry husks, known as cascara. Some enterprising farmers, like Diego Guardia at Hacienda Sonora in Costa Rica, separate and package the cascara, allowing us to taste the origins of the coffee.

Hacienda Sonora sits at the base of the Poas Volcano and the farm is run on pure renewable energy supplied by a hydroelectric plant in the nearby river. This gives the farm ample energy to run their own dry mill and create interesting microlots. It also allows them the opportunity to produce and export cascara by setting up a separate production area for the husks left over after milling natural lots.

Although cascara is technically coffee, it is more similar to a tea than the brown beverage we know and love. It produces an amber-coloured hot or cold drink with lots of fruity sweetness and complex floral aromas.

Dried apricot, cranberry, rose