A Cascara-Infused Caffeine Drink as a Social Beverage

Specialty coffee commercialization has experienced a consistent upward trend over the past several years. The prevalence of specialty coffee consumption has increased considerably, particularly among younger demographics and people who engage in physical activities. Sellers are actively involved in the development of innovative formulas and modifications to maintain the competitiveness of their product in the market. Here, we propose a naturally infused caffeine drink with cascara extract as an alternative social beverage. This beverage was formulated using extracts derived from Arabica Ethiopia coffee beans and coffee cherry shells. The final cascara-infused caffeine drink comprises a 50% Ethiopian Arabica coffee infusion and a 50% coffee cherry shell infusion. This beverage is characterized by an average caffeine content of 0.28 mg/mL, a caffeic acid content of 0.24 mg/mL, and a chlorogenic acid content of 0.13 mg/mL. Furthermore, 100 mL of the cascara-infused coffee drink is enriched with polyphenol compounds at an amount of 80.6 mg of Gallic Acid Equivalents per liter (mg GAE/L), including 67.6 mg of catechin equivalent per liter (mg CAE/L) flavonoids. The formulation of the infused caffeine drink contains natural sugars such as glucose, sucrose, and fructose, in amounts of 0.17 mg/mL, 0.97 mg/mL, and 1.66 mg/mL, respectively. The developed procedure has the potential to enhance the coffee-sale market.