Cascara Latte Recipe – Make Tasty Cascara Coffee At Home!

This cascara latte recipe is one to enjoy. The extra effort in making a homemade cascara simple syrup is well worth it as you can use it for much more than your coffee.

Think: Cocktails, Italian soda and pancakes.

Keep reading to learn how to make a tasty and enjoyable cascara coffee at home.

Cascara Latte Recipe – How To Make Cascara Coffee At Home

There are a lot of different ways in which you can use cascara in your coffee, from making a syrup or buying a premade one to grinding whole dried cascara and dusting it on your latte like you would cocoa powder.

You can even get creative and make little shavings.

My own favorite is to make my own homemade cascara syrup as it can control the taste and above all, make a sugar-free version with a variety of sugar alternatives like stevia, coconut sugar or honey.

Making your own simple syrups of any flavor is much better, even one that is unflavored as a simple syrup distributes the sweetness more evenly than sugar and leaves no residue.

Syrups when used regularly will be your preferred and favorite coffee sweetener. When it comes to making a latte, I suggest using a high-quality specialty grade French or Italian roasted Arabica beans. If dark roasts are not for you, a medium roast or medium-dark roast is fine.

I also suggest using whole fat diary milk for making the steamed milk and the milk foam. While some coffee lovers have a favorite milk, be it soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk or whatever it may be, dairy milk works best with cascara syrup in my opinion and experience.

Although I will add, coconut milk works well. If you use dairy milk alternatives, I strongly suggest the barista brand as the milk sold by this company is focused and perfect for steaming and frothing without curdling – many non-dairy milks unfortunately do curdle easily.

You don’t need to be a milk frothing expert to know that. Just try it and you will soon find out.

Read: What is cascara syrup?

Cascara Latte Recipe

This cascara recipe is easy to make and involves what I call the best way as it involves the making of your own cascara syrup.

Ingredients Needed

• 45 grams (1.5 Oz) of cascara.
• 400 ml (13.5 Oz) of water.
• 3 to 6 tablespoons of the sweetener of your choice, sugar, brown sugar, coconut sugar, stevia or honey.
• Whole fat milk for steaming.
• Specialty grade coffee beans.

Let’s Start By Making The Cascara Syrup

Add 45 grams (1.5 Ounces) to a saucepan, add your 1.5 Oz (400 ml) of water and at medium heat bring it to a slow boil and let it simmer. Keep stirring while your water is heating.

Slowly add your sweetener of choice and stir well. After approximately 10 min your syrup is ready. Let it cool down for 30 min to an hour.

Filter out the cascara using a cheese cloth or sieve and store in an airtight glass bottle.

Let your syrup properly cool in your fridge.

Read: Calories in cascara latte

Making Your Cascara Latte

This is also very easy to make. If you have a fancy espresso machine at home or an ordinary home espresso machine you will get the best results.

Pulling The Perfect Shot

Start by using whole coffee beans. Whole beans are best, always, no exception. By using whole beans, you will get a fresher coffee.

Make sure your beans have been roasted no longer than 7 days ago by checking the roasted on date.

Use a dark espresso roast like a French roast or Italian roast as these two roasts cut through the milk better than other roasts. Weigh your beans with a digital coffee scale and weigh them as whole beans – leave your grinding until later.

The longer you delay the grinding, the better. Weigh 20 grams of coffee beans and grind them to a very fine grind. Usually the finest that your grinder has. 200 microns is an ideal grind size.

A ceramic conical burr grinder will get you the best results as their grind is more consistent and even in size.

The ceramic material aids in heat insulation and transfer, helping to keep your beans fresh for a little longer.

Tamp your grinds evenly and with approximately 30 kg of pressure. Don’t tamp too much or use too little pressure and ensure your grinds are even and flat.

Pulling your shot. Set your latte cup on top of your coffee scale and press the tare button to zero the weight and start to pull your espresso shot.

You should stop pulling your shot when it hits the 30 gram mark. For the eagle eyed, the coffee to water ratio we are using is 1.5:1 which is perfect for an espresso beverage.

Time your shot, it should take 25 seconds +/- 5 seconds.

If your shot takes longer than this brew time, you will need to adjust your grind size and make it slightly larger. If your shot is too quickly pulled, try again with a slightly smaller grind size.

Getting your espresso shot right will ensure plenty of espresso flavor into your cascara latte.

Read: Cascara latte

Steaming Your Milk Perfectly

Half fill your milk steaming jug and with whole fat milk. Dip the nozzle of your milk steaming wand just below the surface and start steaming. Watch for the whirlpool effect. Move your wand through the milk from top to bottom.

Listen for a sound similar to magazines tearing. When you hear that sound your milk is ready to froth. Dip the nozzle of your steaming wand about half an inch below the surface and watch from it to start making milk foam and move it up and down slightly.

When you have your microfoam turn it into your milk by steaming the milk some more to add silky texture to the milk and froth again.

Putting it all together Making That Starbucks Style Cascara Latte

With your shot of espresso in your cup, add twice as much steamed milk, 60 ml (2 oz) and scoop a half inch cap of microfoam.  Add a drizzle of cascara syrup in a straight line.

Optional: Decorate with a few shavings of cascara or cascara powder.

Drink and enjoy.

Frequently Asked Questions About Cascara Latte Recipe

What Is A Cascara Latte?

It is pretty simple what a cascara latte is. It is a café latte flavored with a pump or two of cascara simple syrup. It’s made with steamed milk, a well brewed shot of espresso, microfoam and cascara syrup.

Cascara syrup is made with sugar and coffee cherry extract. Notably Starbucks have a cascara topping which goes excellent with an iced coffee or cold brew.

Does Starbucks Have Cascara?

Yes,

Starbucks has a very tasty Cascara latte which is made with whole fat steamed milk, espresso, milk foam and cascara syrup.

The cascara syrup is made of water, coconut sugar, cane sugar and coffee cherry extract. 

What Flavor Is Cascara?

The flavor of cascara is hard to pin down as there is a burst of fruity flavors that are a lot more like dried fruit than they are fresh fruit. It still has a tangy, zesty taste with notes of raisins and apricots. It’s earthy, with scent that is chocolate like. The dominant taste is hibiscus and orange zest. 

The texture of Cascara is like grape skins. 

Does Cascara Taste Like Coffee?

Not, not at all. The taste of cascara can be better described to be like a middle ground between tea and coffee – even though it does come from a coffee plant.

When a beverage is made with cascara directly it is more describes as a cascara infusion or cascara tea than a cascara coffee.

Is The Cascara Latte Good?

In my opinion and experience, yes, the cascara latte at Starbucks is great. Many coffee lovers agree. 

The latte is brewed with a Pike Place espresso shot with whole fat steamed milk added and then a layer of microfoam is added. On top a line of cascara topping with the syrup is added to make your cup of coffee resemble a coffee bean. 

The cascara flavor the latte brilliantly. If you enjoy the taste you can on your next visit consider an extra cascara pump to be added to your latte. 

What Is Cascara Coffee Good For?

The coffee cherry is an underrated and unconsidered as a super food. It is has a strong nutritional profile, with a great base of vitamins and minerals.

Cascara is also high in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, and polyphenols. There is certainly a lot of health benefits to enjoy.

Final Thoughts – Cascara Latte Recipe

I hope that you tried and enjoyed this cascara latte recipe. Using a deep, dark roast like an Italian or French roast will ensure that you have lots of espresso flavor mixing with the silky texture of the milk and tasty cascara syrup flavoring that livens up your cup of coffee. 

Did you make a masterful cascara latte with this recipe? 

Join our online coffee community on Facebook/Meta and share your cascara latte images, selfies and tips that you used to make it a little better for you. 

Derek Marshall

Derek Marshall, a certified barista by the Specialty Coffee Association possesses over two decades of experience in specialty coffee shops. He holds professional certifications for coffee brewing and barista skills. Derek is also an author with authoritative books covering various coffee topics including specialty coffee, sustainability and coffee, coffee brewing, coffee recipes, coffee cocktails and books focusing on Brazilian coffee, Vietnamese coffee, Indonesian coffee and Malaysian coffee. As a barista for over two decades, Derek Marshall has worked in specialty coffee shops across the United Kingdom, Spain, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Indonesia, and Vietnam. His expertise extends to the distinct coffee cultures, specialty beverages, and brewing techniques of each nation. Functioning as a coffee consultant, Derek charges US$50 per hour. To learn more about Derek Marshall and Latte Love Brew, visit his About Me Page. For coffee inquiries, contact him at +34-639-410-375 or Derek@LatteLoveBrew.com, mentioning your name and location