How Much Caffeine Is in Cascara Tea? A Simple Answer

An 8-ounce cup of cascara tea has roughly 20 to 25 milligrams of caffeine. That is about a quarter of what you get in a cup of brewed coffee, and close to a cup of green tea. It has caffeine, because it comes from the coffee plant, but far less than the roasted bean.

Cascara is the dried fruit that grows around the coffee bean, brewed like tea. The caffeine lives in the fruit as well as the seed, just in a smaller amount. Here is the full picture.

Cascara caffeine compared to coffee and tea

Rough averages for an 8-ounce cup:

So cascara lands near green tea and well under coffee. If a normal cup of coffee feels like too much, especially later in the day, cascara gives you a warm drink with a fraction of the caffeine.

What changes the caffeine in your cup

The 20 to 25 mg figure is a starting point, not a fixed number. A few things move it:

• How much cascara you use. More fruit per cup means more caffeine.
• How long you steep it. A longer steep pulls out a little more caffeine along with more flavor.
• Hot vs cold brew. A 12 to 24 hour cold brew can extract somewhat more than a quick hot steep, though it stays well under coffee.
• The batch itself. Caffeine content varies with the coffee variety and how the cherry was grown and dried.

Why cascara is not caffeine-free

Cascara comes from the same plant as coffee, so it naturally contains caffeine. If you want a true zero-caffeine drink, cascara is not it. What it offers instead is a low-caffeine option with real flavor, made from a part of the coffee plant most people never taste. Think of it as sitting between herbal tea, which usually has none, and green tea, which has a little more.

Can you drink cascara in the afternoon?

For most people, a cup of cascara in the afternoon is gentle enough that it does not get in the way of sleep the way a late coffee can. At around 20 to 25 mg, it is roughly a quarter of a coffee's caffeine. Everyone reacts differently to caffeine, and if you are sensitive, keep an eye on how a late cup affects you. As a rule, cascara is easy to enjoy after lunch when a second coffee would be too much.

Cascara vs coffee caffeine, at a glance

One cup of cascara has about a quarter of the caffeine of one cup of drip coffee. You would need to drink roughly four cups of cascara to reach the caffeine in a single coffee. That is what makes it an easy swap for the afternoon cup, or for anyone cutting back without giving up a warm drink with flavor.

Frequently asked questions about cascara caffeine

Does cascara tea have caffeine?
Yes, a small amount. About 20 to 25 mg per 8-ounce cup, close to green tea and roughly a quarter of coffee.

Is cascara stronger than green tea?
It is very close. Green tea is around 28 mg per cup and cascara is around 20 to 25 mg, so they are in the same range.

Can I drink cascara before bed?
It has less caffeine than coffee or black tea, but it is not caffeine-free. If you are sensitive, treat it like a light green tea and give yourself a few hours before sleep.

Is there a decaf cascara?
Cascara naturally has some caffeine and is not decaffeinated. Its appeal is that the caffeine is already low.

How many cups of cascara equal one coffee?
Roughly four cups of cascara add up to the caffeine in a single cup of drip coffee.

Try our first batch of Cascara Coffee Cherry Tea

Our Cascara Coffee Cherry Tea is the low-caffeine cup we reach for in the afternoon: the fruit around the bean, dried and steeped into a soft, cherry-sweet tea. This is a small first batch, so grab it while it lasts. Learn more about what cascara tea is or find your favorite brew in our cascara recipes.

Shop Cascara Coffee Cherry Tea →

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Cascara Coffee Cherry Tea is a food, not a dietary supplement, and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.