Updates and info regarding cascara being banned in the UK and potentially Europe. Questions welcome in the comments! Music: Pandrezz x nymano - you should have known / pandrezz-x-nymano-you-... chillhop.bandcamp.com
The abstract, published 25 February 2022: "Following a request from the European Commission, the EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA) was asked to deliver an opinion on dried coffee husk (cascara) from Coffea arabica L. as a novel food (NF) pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. The NF comprises the skin (exocarp), pulp (mesocarp), mucilage (pectin), parchment (endocarp) and a portion of the silver skin of the coffee fruit, and consists mainly of digestible carbohydrates, dietary fibre and water. The Panel considers that there are no safety concerns regarding the stability of the NF if the NF complies with the proposed specification limits during its entire shelf‐life. The NF as such will not be consumed, instead, beverages produced with the infusion of the NF in water will be available to consumers. Considering an 100% extraction of caffeine from the NF to the beverage, the specification limit set for caffeine and the proposed use levels, the maximum concentration of caffeine in infusions produced using the NF could be up to 600 mg/L of drink, a concentration comparable to those in coffee beverages. The Panel notes that consumption of beverages produced using the NF will add significantly to the total dietary intake of caffeine of the general population. The consumption of beverages containing caffeine is not recommended for children, pregnant or breast‐feeding women if the caffeine content exceeds 150 mg/L. Taking into account the nature of the NF, the history of use of the NF as food and the proposed uses and use levels, the Panel considers that no toxicological studies are required on the NF. The risk of allergic reactions to the NF is considered low. The Panel concludes that the NF, dried husk of the fruit of Coffea arabica L., is safe under the proposed conditions of use."
wow, soon enough our children will be rolling cascara and be dealing it illegally... and you my friend, will be the legendary cascara dealer who tried to make it legal
Thanks for the background! Starbucks in the US has been using Cascera as an additive to some seasonal drinks but I’d like to try infusing some possibly roasted like some oolong teas are roasted. Keep the videos coming!☕️
I've just bought a small bag of cascara from a coffee roaster in Nottingham. 😂 Totally didn't expect I'd be able to do it when I saw your video earlier. Felt like a criminal hahaha.
James I will tell you've I've done two separate phyto-sanitary testing of organic and non cascara and found high levels of copper oxide (above FDA standards) and also high counts of insect fecal matter. The copper oxide was spray for roya and it is a carcinogenic substance and raised my concern. Your video is very revealing and I hope the coffee world realizes the potential health concerns. I'm certain there are clean processes and offerings, but the onus is on the importer and end buyer in terms of testing (just as it is with tea importation).
These samples were from very reputable sources, which is why, as a former coffee and tea buyer, I was concerned after getting the Certificates of Analysis lab results. If a buyer requires a CofA from their seller or exporter, this might green light cascara as it is with tea or maté or rooibos. Perhaps cascara should be classified as a by-product of coffee? FDA has no current classification, but it is more like a botanical than coffee as we and our governing bodies understand it.
That's quite worrying. I think the reason for that is that often cascara is rather a by-product, because it's not farmers' focus. So they can sacrifice the cherry for the sake of the beans. Now I believe growing coffee trees for cascara instead of for beans would be different.
We have done a full chemical analysis of our cascara as well and it was completely OK. Its from a non-organic certified farm in Panama which follows organic farming practices ...
We did a chemical analysis of our Colombian pulped cascara upon import which was completely fine (no pesticides used anyway), and so was the Rwandan pulped cascara (certified organic pesticides used but not traceable), even though the first Rwanda trials actually started showing traces of mould already after 8 months. After asking the Dutch food authority, they said the mould demonstrably developed after import - not from excessive levels of indigenous aflatoxins or mycotoxins - and did not violate any EU import or food regulations. On the other hand, some of the natural cascara samples we tested indeed contained traces of insects and insect fecal matter, which calls for more official differentiation in the product. In any case, I hope we can all help speed up a sound regulatory framework to we don't have to waste so much producer investment in this product...
In Munich you can get cascara tea served in almost all modern coffee shops. You can order from many rosters or tea houses. Lots of German reviews and praises in the internet. Usually Germany banns everything which is fun.... surprised to find it banned in the UK.
Is there any relation between the water used in certain washing processes being ~toxic or damaging to the environment, and those same problematic things being in the Cascara? (There are regulations in many countries about washing stations having to process or store the water that was used from a certain part in the process, otherwise it will cause problems)
Any updates on the cascara front? I've still got a bag of Rave's cascara (pretty old I know..) and really enjoyed drinking it. First tried cascara at Cup North a few years ago, which was on the cupping stand (Square Mile Kilimanjaro - alongside three different processes of the same coffee) Be a shame for cascara to disappear as it's a very nice drink in its own right.
In somalia 🇸🇴 we call it qashar and we use it to boost immunity for all abdominal problems it's delicious and can be used as tea or as juice try it its great 👍
If the cascara shipped to Europe passes phytosanitary tests would it be considered legal? If not, then on what basis would they do that? Will they ban orange peels too?
I'm going to start talking with people involved in coffee legal stuff here in Ecuador and see if there is a possibility of making it a viable way to help coffee farmers here. The only issue is that there are not that much of organic coffee farmers but I think it's possible
I have been trying to get some Cascara to sell to our wholesale clients. We are in Texas, USA. Are there people in the U.K. that would want/need to sell us part of their inventory because of this situation? -Gold Stripe Coffee Roasters
Is it possible they are confusing this with cáscara sagrada tea, a powerful plant-based laxative derived from Rhamnus purshiana, which is native to the Pacific Northwest? This substance is thought to be carcinogenic.
@@shadowlands339 Well James is pretty clear that the problem is a technicality as to what can legally be sold as "food". Not sure what is difficult to understand tbh?
@romaneeconti02 Go ahead and drink all kidney-destroying nondescript Chinese "supplements" you find online, knock yourself out; but don't use absolutely unacceptable and unjust insults. Even if you're a 10y old.
I bought an organic Kilo from the Ro:st Haus out of Costa Rico. Cascara is my new 'Tea' for all my Kombucha batches. I even use Coca tea since I'm based out of Peru half of the year.
But surely this is only as a food stuff. Couldn't we sell it as a decorative plant with a pot of hot water and a sign saying "do not eat (but we can't stop you if you do.) "?
Any update with cascara? First time I tried cascara was Fall '16 here in the US. Tried it on the Clever and also made some cold brew. Bummer that you guys can't serve/sell it.
Well, for those who doesn't know... Kascara is a traditional tea in Bolivia, Paraguay, some regions in Colombia and Venezuela, south Peru, Chaco region in Argentina and in some level in Brazil (since the bolivian migration is a thing, and can be traditional in some central america too, but I really don't know too much about that region), I've tasted it in a bolivian restaurant, but I don't like the taste at all (I bought from a local roaster on March, 2020, and didn't like that time too). But this video is 3 year old and I couldn't imagine that in some level a innocent tea with a flower flavour could be illegal in some countries. I think those countries could be useful as a benchmarking since kascara is more known there.
mysterymanforu unfortunately European citizens have no way of physically defending their rights. They only have the most expensive legislative approaches that take decades or more. But yea, molon labe lol
Some people “believe” it has a lot, or a little caffeine? Caffeine content can be measured in a liquid post brewing. No one has to believe anything. Like any living thing different fruits and the branches from which them come will have different percentages of caffeine. Mostly within 2 standard deviations from the mean.
Its totally not about legality. Its about what kind of taxes you must pay for selling it. Before the authorities decide about the taxes, you can't sell it, because they don't have interest on it. Its all about money, nothing else.
Interesting. A coffee shop I go to regularly (in Vietnam) makes 'tea' with cascara every hour or so to give to all the customers (free). It's very tasty. That's fascinating how the law seems to work in the UK and Europe - about something not being ILLEGAL to sell, but not being specifically LEGAL. Now I'm wondering if and how many things work like that in the U.S. I doubt cascara is handled that way. Anyone know?
You're talking about the difference between using an allowlist or using a denylist. Obviously allowlisting is the most appropriate approach here. If everything is legal until proven deadly, you just end up with a situation where the authorities play a game of whack-a-mole testing and declaring things to be dangerous and illegal while unscrupulous sellers just keep finding some random part of some random weed or whatever and starting selling it with no regards to safety until the authorities eventually shut it down, putting the public at risk in the interim. No, completely unknown/novel food should obviously be illegal to sell until it has been reasonably proven safe.
@@TheHuesSciTech That's insane. To prove something isn't harmful is proving a negative which is notoriously impossible and nothing else we eat has ever been subject to that system of being banned until you prove it's not dangerous, especially the stuff that has well known or suspected dangers and continues to be completely legal. You are right that companies take advantage of this basic way that reality works, so does everyone all the time. It's a little bit scary, just like your landlord not proving your house isn't on an active super volcano is a little scary.
I think the issue is that cascara is confused with cascara tree which is used for it’s medicinal qualities including being a laxative. For this reason cascara tree derivatives are regulated. I believe department of agriculture are assuming it is fruit from cascara tree.
Over where? Most places have regulations on what can be sold as food. If you’re from the USA I would suggest you look into what the letters FDA stand for. I’ll give you a hint, one of them ends in ‘ood’ and the other two are ‘drug’ and ‘administration’. It makes sense really. If you want to sell something as a food, make money off it, import it, all the rest, then you should follow some rules. It needs to be safe to eat, not pose a threat to local agriculture and the ecosystem. Also even if in theory it’s safe to eat but in practice the stuff being imported is contaminated or whatever that’s probably not the best. In Australia we have food standards / regulations which apply to how things are labelled (re allergies and intolerances, also place of origin), how they are stored and transported, what are safe levels of contamination, and many other things including yes, what you can import. Famously a type of French cheese was banned because it was considered too dangerous to pregnant women and this proved controversial so a government minister intervened to reverse the decision. This isn’t unusual most developed nations have a codified standard for food and food products. Not sure where you are from but I reckon the odds are you have them too. This might seem like red tape or bureaucracy gone mad, but it has saved lives and is nothing new. Diseases and blights can be really big problems for producers, contamination can cost lives. Regulations relating to bread and ale in the UK goes back to the 13th century. If you’re going to regulate stuff, food would probably be near the top of the list.
You can buy it in the USA, never regulated , same as coffee . Very good with a tiny pinch of cinnamon and cardamom and a half teaspoon of honey , tastes like cherry pie .
No, it's the other way round. Until you have a law banning something, it is legal to have that something. However... Laws can have unintended effects, including confusion. Looks like there is a law that - implicitly - bans cascara as a side effect of banning something else, hence the confusion. Drafting of laws so that you don't get these unintended effects is an art, and leaves us needing lawyers to navigate the muddy waters of consumer protection law.
I have to say I have a ‘gut reaction’ to cascara. I first came across cascara when I was in medical school, oh about 300 years ago. We would routinely order it as a gentle colon cathartic; i.e. laxative. Now decades later, I can’t get myself to look into the steamy dark brown liquid of my coffee and be convinced that it is connected to cascara. Love your reviews, videos and personality. Cheers.
Cascara sagrada many times is confused with the cascara from coffee. The former is/was used extensively for digestive issues. Cascara just indicates a covering or bark for many herbal and plants resulting in the confusion.
That's a different plant only from the Pacific Northwest. Laxative but coffee Cascara is not..its a Tisane or as United Stations say "Erball Tea" even though tea is reserved for Camelia leaves. It's a decoction or Tisane that is slightly fruity or jam flavoured and high in polyphenols and antioxidants.
Still enjoying Cascara here in New Zealand. What a shame about the UK/EU, glad I got out and moved here. I stumbled upon something this week about Cascara that I think is really interesting (James if you still read comments in old videos, take note!). I like to make batches of cascara tea in 1 litre amounts, put it in a Whisky bottle and keep in the fridge. I then drink it diluted with sparkling water as a refreshing summer drink. Last batch I made "went off" or so I thought. Turns out what I now have is a Kombucha Cascara and it tastes AMAZING! What was a nice, simple little plummy flavoured tea is now a very exotic and complex flavoured drink. A Komucha, which I was never taken with before, tends to have an apple cider sort of taste. The Cascara really goes well with that so I highly recommend trying it if you ever get your hands on more Cascara, or if you are out of the country somewhere they haven't gone all "jobs worth" over technicalities.
well on one side because EU has strong regulations for the food industry wich is nice because it protects it's citizens, on the other hand they love to ban stupid things and overcomplicate simpel stuff
I understood that it isn't technically banned..it's more in a legal limbo since no one ever heard of it or cared enough to regulate it. Now that it is "in the system" it is pending approval, but cannot be solved unless approved. It's a weird world sometimes.
James Hoffmann I find this ridiculous and the fact that this is just coffee I don't know of anyone who has gotten sick from coffee thank you for posting.
I've always seen cascara used as a laxative and this creates the dilemma is it a medicinal product or a food. So it's not really banned it's the use of it and hence the branding and recognition as a health/medicinal product that's caused this sudden restriction until this is solved. The fact it has become a novelty food product and application for this use that this is now happening.
@@grumfeldvanderspooijwanker1627 there is cross over due to the name cascara and it is causing a branding dilemma. Cascara loosely means bark and the cascara you are thinking of is cascara sagrada. The powers that be are in a bind about this I know there are many forms of cascara perhaps if the coffee bean version called itself coffee cherry husk and dropped cascara things would get it off the restricted list.
We should call it Coffee Cherry Tea as it has nothing to do with laxatives. That's a different plant found in Pacific Northwest USA and the word Cascara is from the Spanish for husk or shell.
Good video, thanks for sharing. We expect local, customs and European authorities to regulate quality and minimum health requirements. I love the peeling tea, but first it must be the health of all.
All this blah blah blah... It's freaking coffee. I truly empathize your pight of over reaching bureaucracy. Would be nice to se up a free society, where what goes into your body is a personal right, granted by our Creator.
Being in Germany, this is the first time I hear about such a thing as cascara at all. Thanks, YT algorithm. Is this still a thing, and does someone sell it around here - or did ever - anyway?
So cascara is legally available in Europe and was even when this video was created. It is classified as a 'Novel Food' and an individual country's laws may prohibit or not explicitly allow for the distribution of cascara.
I know cascara powder from being a pharmacist, it gets prescribed as an ingredient in weightloss capsules, often with rhubarb and fucus. The powder leaves a very nasty taste in the mouth. Never knew it came from coffee!
Those are two different things, the cascara you are talking about is cascara sagrada, which is made from the bark of a buckthorn tree, this is a laxative, same with the roots from rhubarb. The cascara he's talking about is the fruit/skin of a coffee plant.
Still does with the Cascara from the many farms that wash coffee. This Cascara is from dry process naturals..so it's already sun dried around the bean and can easily be directly packaged as herbal coffee cherry tea or cascara Tisane.
@@tt55k I'm finding it hard to believe something with cardamon and cinnamon can taste like cherry pie. Even the honey would be overpowering. I'm not a fan of cascara but adding extremely strong spices like this is absolute madness you will overpower any subtleties of it completely. And you can't possibly tell me I'm wrong by saying it tastes like crap, crap isn't a flavour, it's a description of what I think of a flavour. And to assert it tastes like cherry pie? You seem to be forgetting things taste different to different people. Regardless I think it's fair to say this will always be niche, most people will not find it to be delicious or cherry pie like, even if given a bag of this for free will not make a habit of drinking it and will likely never finish the bag of it.
@@Bungle2010 because it tastes bad, is unhealthy but not toxic, is toxic but the government approved it anyway because ‘the exports’ didn’t know better, or worse it has a stake in approving the food.
You are talking about the laxative Cascara.. totally different plant. Just think of coffee Cascara as coffee cherry tea or cascara Tisane. The other plant is only from US NW
This is why we in the US fought the Revolutionary War. Having to wait for the government to give you permission to do something that isn't actually illegal doesn't make any sense, legally, morally, or logically. If something is not illegal, it is permitted in a true democracy. If you have to get permission to do anything that isn't specifically delineated is legal, what you've got there is Napoleonic Law. Hopefully with BREXIT, y'all can go back to being a somewhat free democratic nation, and not the chattel of the EU Oligarchs...
So it doesn't make sense to protect people from products that may do them harm? And you fought a war so people could sell any old shit as "food" to consumers? No you didn;t.
