What does coffee leaf tea taste like?

Question

I have recently seen leaves of the coffee plant for sale for the purpose of making coffee leaf tea and I'm curious. What does it taste like?

I've heard various bold health claims about the antioxidant content, and that it has very little caffeine content (e.g., treehugger, modern farmer, and The Telegraph). It also sounds like a way for coffee farms to make some "off-season" profit, which is probably a win for everyone.

But what I'm interested in is the taste. The Wikipedia article (linked above) says it tastes like "green tea" but that's extremely varied, and others (like the link below) describe it as "sweet" or "refreshing" or "dry" but none of those are particularly helpful either.

I have only seen this one place selling the stuff and they seem to be perpetually sold out, but maybe it's highly seasonal.

The leaves seem to be sold for $20 for 50g, or about $180/pound (since they're in Canada, I assume those are CAD/C$). Maybe it's like conventional tea, where even a gram goes far, but I don't know. Before I shell out that much, has anyone tried the stuff? What does it taste like? How is it prepared? If it's like a tea-like coffee, that sounds delicious. Perhaps like cascara or similar?

Answer 1

Had once, made of dehidrated leaves. Lighter than green tea, it ressembles rucola (arugula, in the US).

Answer 2

I'm not sure about that stuff, but they make a tea that is derived from the fruit that the coffee seed is taken from called Cascara. It's actually quite delicious and often is reminiscent of a sweet dried cranberry. I would certainly check it out, but otherwise the leaves by them self sound a bit over priced.

Answer 3

As for coffee tea leaves, it is worth saying that their taste is like a delicate dance between coffee and tea. It is an interesting combination that blends the flavor of coffee with the lightness and aroma of tea. Coffee tea leaves have a rich, but not as sharp flavor as coffee, but at the same time have the same warmth and vigor. It is definitely worth trying at least once in your life!