Yemenis have known for centuries what biohackers and specialty coffee roasters are now only beginning to explore; the delicious flavor and high potency of brewing tea on the coffee fruit husk, that is left over from the hulling process of the coffee cherries. In Yemen known as qishr, the coffee husk tea is brewed from the dried unroasted coffee husks and international research is increasingly pointing towards coffee fruit as a product high in antioxidants and with numerous health benefits.

In Yemen every household has their own favorite recipe for qishr which typically features fresh ginger, cinnamon and other spices, and sometimes a pinch of sugar. Qishr is more popular than coffee in Yemen, and the drink has been enjoyed since coffee was first discovered. More recently, Latin American coffee producers have started introducing coffee husk tea, and internationally it is more known under the Spanish name cascara, than the Yemeni name qishr. However, the product is the same and as with green coffee qishr comes in different qualities. Yemen is the only place in the world where qishr has been widely consumed for centuries, and more than just a bi-product from the coffee production, attention is given to the quality and handling of qishr as a product with its own value, resulting in high-quality husk and preservation of it’s unique flavors.