Compote from coffee dried fruits. Meet a cascara - a cyclist's best friend

Continue to the coffee and effects cycle. In the process of immersion in the subject finally became caffeine-dependent, but this does not bother me at all. I can quit at any time. By the way, I have almost finished testing espresso for light absorption in various parts of the spectrum, but this publication will be a little later. In the meantime, back to cascara.

A cascara, which is coffee, should not be confused with a cascara, which is Rhámnus purshiána - North American buckthorn. Buckthorn is a very tough laxative and the effects of drinking can be quite unexpected. Coffee maker is a rather rare drink that is made from the dried pulp of coffee berries. Confusion arose because of the common Spanish word for the word " cascara " - "shell", "bark". In buckthorn just bark is used. Other names for cascara are sultana, qishr, and buno.
In short, I got the packaging for testing and was surprised to find that I had found an almost perfect drink for sports. Moreover, the caffeine in it will be a very moderate amount: studies have shown that even with the strongest brew cascades, the caffeine content was 111.4 mg / l, while 400-800 mg per liter of brewed coffee. Let's poke a stick and try to make a sports compote of coffee dried fruits.

Phase 0 - we study

The stages of aging coffee berries
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A few years ago, I grew Coffea arabica nana at home — a dwarf version of Arabica. Despite my mockery of the plant, it even blossomed and fruited. The ripened berries were cloyingly sweet with interesting sourness. Alas, then came scytkov and devoured everything.
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If you look at the berry in the section, we will see a red flesh and two coffee beans inside. In the wild, the genus Coffee refers to plants that are settled due to birds. Hence, bright, noticeable red berries, sweet flesh. Plus, the birds do not know how to chew, and therefore the grains so valuable to the plant will not be harmed. Man himself is not particularly interested in the berries - there are many more delicious options. Actually, in normal production, no one bothers with the preservation of the pulp, and all attention is paid to the processing of grains. But in some regions, mainly in Yemen and El Salvador, coffee pulp is used to prepare another product - cascaras. The pulp is separated from the grains, dried in the sun and subjected to additional heat treatment - slightly fried or baked. In the original version, Coffee cherry tea is considered “the drink of the poor”, as it is, in fact, a by-product of the production of expensive arabica. There are even more exotic options of pre-fermented berries or smoked in the final. And of course, confirming the traditional thesis that alcohol can be driven even from a stool, you can find liqueurs, beer and other beverages based on it.


In the US, the New Belgium brewery even began to brew ale based on it
In general, this is a rather rare type of production, because of which the cascade is almost never exported. Production volumes are small and the chances of accidentally meeting the dried pulp of coffee berries in the store are close to zero.

Phase 1 - gently poke the stick

Actually, this is why I immediately took a big package for myself when my favorite roaster had a Bolivian cascade. Guys are bought with microlots when they take rare varieties. Very often, the most interesting things are taken apart before you have time to try. In the package came something completely different from the usual coffee. In principle, this was expected initially, but a light stupor caused the appearance of dried pieces, which painfully reminded us of dried fruit in appearance and flavor. He took advantage of the recommended basic recipe: poured boiling water into the kettle, poured a handful of dried berries, waited 5 minutes. I tried and was upset. The taste was very mild, light pleasant sourness, notes of dried apples and rosehip, but very, very weak. He went and made himself an espresso cup from the ideologically correct Guatemala Marakaturra El Socorro. About the kettle with cascara forgot.


The next morning, I saw an infusion in a teapot that stood overnight. The drink opened completely on the other side, with all the notes of apples, strawberries and something citrus. In the end, I decided to refine the recipe and see what is useful you can squeeze out of it. To cook a major compote of coffee dried fruit is somehow too small.

Phase 2 - disassemble into components

Not yet scratched the bike and my wife is almost at the time of photographing))

First of all, I decided to clarify what is interesting in the composition. Plus, I just started cycling actively and began to look for a successful version of sports drinking. The high content of vitamin C in the pulp, citric acid and a bit of caffeine caught my eye. What does it give us fluids during exercise?

Vitamin C

It plays an important role in protecting cellular structures from damage by free radicals and reactive oxygen species. Helps to cope with oxidative stress. The physiological need for adults - 90 mg / day, while playing sports - 100-150 mg / day. In terms of sports, one of the positive effects is the anti-catabolic activity of the vitamin due to the suppression of cortisol. Also, this vitamin inhibits peroxidation, which adversely affects the work of muscles.

Lemon acid

In many ways, determines the acidity of the finished drink. Banal, at first glance, a thing familiar since childhood. However, for physicians and biologists this is an important element of the tricarboxylic acid cycle (Krebs cycle). For most, this name evokes vague memories of a school and a textbook of biology for the 9th grade. I will remind)


If it is very simple to approach this issue, then this cycle is the core of the energy system of our body. Everything that you burn for energy ends sooner or later with this cycle. As a result of a series of otkovyrivany hydrogen and CO ₂ from the citric acid molecule, we get 24 molecules of ATP - the basic source of energy for all biochemical reactions.

Upon completion of the cycle, the extirpated remains of oxal acetate are converted into citric acid by external acetyl CoA tossed into the furnace. And the cycle begins anew.

What do we get by introducing citric acid into the body? Pile of ATP where necessary. It will burn in the furnace mitochondria in muscle cells and in other places where there is a need. Just like instead of raw, unprocessed oil, immediately splash aviation kerosene. Not for nothing that the same citric and succinic acid is included in the composition of many drugs - for example, Limontar. Such a universal source for the correction of metabolic disorders and smoothing the peaks of energy consumption. From the hangover, by the way, it helps) There are also disadvantages - I do not advise gastritics. But they are generally irritating liquids / food and acidic drinks are contraindicated.

Caffeine

I have already talked about it in detail in past publications. It is appropriate to quote SportsWiki :

Most of the studies on caffeine focused exclusively on those sports that require increased stamina. Their main conclusion is that caffeine helps most of these athletes to achieve better sports results. There are three versions explaining a similar reaction. The first of them was originally considered the most plausible and is associated with the ability of caffeine to stimulate fat burning for energy. Caffeine contributes to the development of adrenaline - a hormone that accelerates the release of fatty acids in the blood. In the initial exercise, the muscles use the fatty acids that are available for energy production, while maintaining intact muscle glycogen stores. Separate scientific studies have confirmed this theory.

The second version is as follows: caffeine is able to directly affect skeletal muscle by changing key enzymes or systems that regulate the process of splitting carbohydrates inside cells. But the study of this theory did not reveal unambiguous results and was not completed.

The third version may actually be key to understanding how caffeine makes you feel that you have done less work than you actually do. According to this version, this is due to the fact that caffeine, due to its direct effect on the central nervous system, can provide a psychological effect, causing athletes to feel that they do not work so intensively, or in some way maximize the strength of muscle contractions. Now we know that caffeine has the ability to bypass the brain-blood barrier and prevent the action of adenosine, a neurotransmitter that causes drowsiness by slowing down the activity of nerve cells. In the brain, caffeine looks like adenosine and can be fused with adenosine receptors on brain cells. But caffeine does not have the same effect as adenosine, it does not slow down the activity of nerve cells. Instead, it stimulates the production of adrenaline, a hormone that improves health during exercise. This is currently the predominant version, as confirmed by scientific research.

In general, subjectively, there is a feeling of some kind of “boost” on a bicycle trip. But it's hard for me to judge by myself, since I use 4-5 cups of espresso per day and I already have a fairly pronounced dependence. As a result, caffeine receptor sensitivity is significantly reduced. There is little caffeine in the cascade - 20–25% of espresso of a similar volume. But in general, his presence is palpable.

Phase 3 - patch source

So, we finalize the extraction of snacks from cascades:
We take 3-4 grams of dry cascara per 100 ml of boiling water. Pour it all into a thermos. I have a thermos from Ikea - it perfectly becomes a holder under a flask on a bicycle. Add some cinnamon, perhaps nutmeg or cloves to taste. Since we are good to have easily digestible carbohydrates during exercise, add sugar. Also to taste, but not to the syrup. Leave a thermos for the night.

In the morning we filter, pour in ice (yes, in Krasnodar now it is +21) and go to work by bicycle)

Phase 4 - conclusions

The unique nectar of the gods do not wait. But the drink is worth a try. True interesting. But in general it turns out something very similar to wild rose and dried apples.
Previous publications of the cycle:
Hello, I am Meklon and I am caffeine-dependent
Chronicles of the laboratory: how we considered ground coffee as a software for analyzing cellular structures