Product Review -- Starbuck's New 'Cascara Latte' for 2017 -- A Change From the Usual Cup of Coffee

streetstyle (72)in #coffee • 7 years ago (edited)

A Change From the Usual Cup of Coffee -
Starbuck's New 'Cascara Latte'

Nutrition Facts Per Serving (12 fl oz)

Calories 190
Calories from Fat 45
Total Fat 5g 8% (%Daily Value*)
Saturated Fat 3.5g 18% (%Daily Value*)
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 20mg 7% (%Daily Value*)
Sodium 125mg 5% (%Daily Value*)
Total Carbohydrate 26g 9% (%Daily Value*)
Dietary Fiber 0g 0% (%Daily Value*)
Sugars 25g
Protein 9g
Vitamin A 10% Vitamin C 0% Calcium 30% Iron 0% Caffeine 80mg**
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
**Each caffeine value is an approximate value.

Starbucks takes Brewed Espresso, your choice of steamed milk (2%, Whole, Soy, Nonfat, Coconut, Almond) and combines it with specially made syrup from the coffee bean 'Cascara.' The light foam on top is sprinkled with a crunchy cascara topping that is made from the cascara extract and cane sugar.

What is 'Cascara?'

In the picture above you see red ripe coffee cherry (that is both single and plural in the 'Coffee World'), and well as some dried cascara. The Coffee Cherry has a thin, smooth but bitter outer skin that covers the fruit inside, which is grape like in texture as well as sweet. At the center pit are two coffee beans, which is the only thing that the Coffee industry and the World has used from the Coffea Plant, until recently.

Sometime around 2005, Aida Batlle, an American raised 5th Generation Salvadoran Coffee Farmer/Grower began experimenting with the outer skin and fleshy fruit of the Coffee Cherry. One day, while at a local coffee mill in El Salvador, where she also worked as a professional 'Coffee Cupper,' she smelled the sweet herbal smell of the left over coffee skin and fruit. Intrigued by it, she took hot water and made a tea out of the skin and fruit, eventually settling on a blend that she liked. The word spread, and now you can buy Cascara Tea, which depending on the blend can have more or less caffeine than coffee, so read the label.

"Cascara Latte"

Now, Starbucks has decided to take a regular Caffè Latte, and spice it up with Cascara as one of their new drinks for 2017. The new 'Cascara Latte' was introduced to the public on January 10, 2017. I recently decided to try it, changing up my daily routine of a Tall (12 oz) Cup of Pike Place Coffee for the new Cascara Latte. The latte has much less caffeine than a regular (and bitter) coffee, but it makes up for it in taste. The velvety foam sprinkled with sugar caramelized cascara bits on top of the espresso and steamed milk sweetened with a syrup made from Cascara (Coffee Cherry Extract) make for a deliciously sweet hot blend on a wet and already bitter Los Angeles Morning. The Cascara adds a light herbal fruit flavor taste with a hint of Maple Syrup to the latte breaking up the monotony of my drab and daily coffee. Thumbs up Starbucks!