Cashmere was released in 2013 by Washington State University's hop breeding program, developed from the same broad breeding lineage as Cascade, though it expresses that heritage quite differently — where Cascade reads sharp grapefruit and floral notes, Cashmere leans toward a softer melon-and-lime profile with mild tropical fruit underneath, closer in spirit to some of the newer proprietary tropical hops than to its own direct Cascade relative.
Cashmere earns its keep on both sides of the boil: 7.5-9.5% alpha acid is moderate enough for a reasonable bittering charge, and distinctive enough that most recipes reserve a real portion of the hop bill for late-boil or dry-hop use instead. Its melon and lime combination is relatively uncommon among hops bred from Cascade-family stock, most of which stay closer to grapefruit and citrus pith. Cashmere's alpha range is narrower and more moderate than its relative Cascade's, so a Cashmere-based addition shouldn't be assumed to deliver Cascade-level bitterness at the same weight — check it against the IBU calculator. For the melon note specifically, Palisade lands closest; Cascade is the more obvious genetic relative but trades Cashmere's soft fruit for something brighter and more citrus-driven. Brewers mixing a hazy IPA dry hop usually fold Cashmere in alongside a bolder tropical variety like Citra or Mosaic rather than let it carry the charge alone. Citra and Mosaic both carry a noticeably higher alpha ceiling than Cashmere, so neither is a direct bittering match despite the aromatic overlap that makes them common blending partners.