Groups like Al-Hamdani are working to reverse this trend. Acting as a unified force of 32,000 farmers, this group makes much needed financing accessible to alleviate the seasonal nature of a coffee farmer's income. They also work to ensure high quality standards and assist in the process of milling and sorting dried cherries. In 2007, Al-Hamdani established a new dam to make irrigation available to the farmers in the region. We hope to see more farmers join together in movements like this that make the production of uniquehigh quality Yemeni coffees a financially viable reality.
Coffee husks have a long history of being prepared for consumption aside from the roasted beans we're now so familiar with. In Central America, they bear the name Cascara. In Africa, it is called Buna. In the Arabic world, where this offering comes from, it goes by Qish'r or Qisher. Served hot or cold, the dried husk tea makes for a unique beverage that offers flavors both new and familiar to the coffee drinker. When our last Cascara offering came out, Education Expert, Sales Rep and Roasting Pro Joe Marrocco wrote this blogand included some awesome ideas for how to prepare different iterations of the dried coffee cherry tea. We invite you to try these, or create your own! The flavors can be easily guided in different directions with the addition of spices and sweeteners so experimentation almost always yields interesting results.
