Have you ever heard of Peaberry coffee? If you are a coffee lover, we assume that you have. There is a common misconception that Peaberry is a completely separate variety, however, this is very far from reality. In fact, the term “peaberry” refers to the coffee bean itself, and it may be found on all coffee plants and types.

So, how does a normal coffee bean without any defects look? Their flat fronts face in, while their round backs face out. Coffee beans are the seeds of the coffee cherry that are extracted, processed, and roasted for consumption. Peaberries are estimated to account for about 10% of a harvest. They are caused by a spontaneous mutation, or fault, within a coffee cherry in which one ovule fails to pollinate. As a result, there is more room for the solitary growing seed. A bigger and rounder seed develops inside this area. That is what Peaberry actually is. However, not all one-seeded cherries can be called Peaberries.

During the post-harvest process, peaberries are often sorted and segregated. They will either be sorted by size using a sieve or by sophisticated technology that sorts by weight and size in a fast manner. It is frequently thought that because a peaberry’s solitary bean does not need to exchange nutrients with two separated beans, it has a greater flavor profile.

Peaberries are reported to have sharp acidity, sweetness, and concentrated & nuanced flavors in a cup. Also, they have a higher density, according to roasters. However, because there has been very little research on a peaberry coffee bean, it is difficult to determine if this data is the consequence of the peaberries’ particular growth circumstances. It’s also worth mentioning that the peaberries sold now are mostly cultivated in high-quality circumstances, which causes your final cup of coffee to taste special and unique.

Another popular myth that we have heard about Peaberry is that it only grows in Tanzania, which is not true. Tanzania is a well-known coffee-growing country that routinely splits a large portion of its coffee lots into Peaberry lots. Because of tradition, this is primarily generated from client desire. Nowadays, Peaberries may be found in every coffee-producing country as it does not need any special environment to grow. They make up around 5% of every unsorted bag of coffee beans but they mostly can be found in Costa Rica, Tanzania, Rwanda, Guatemala, and many more.

The background of Peaberry coffee beans

So, why are these beans called Peaberry and not something else? Because of its more rounded form, Peaberry is known as “caracolillo” in Spanish, which means “small snail.” According to the majority of coffee specialists, spherical coffee beans are known as peaberry. The formation of these spherical beans has been linked to the miscarriage of one of the two ovules in the ovary, freeing up space for the single growing seed.

As we already mentioned at the beginning of our article, coffee Peaberry can be grown anywhere in the world. Interestingly, certain locations, such as Tanzania, Brazil, Kenya, and Kona, produce more peaberries because they have the infrastructure in place to locate and separate the peaberries from the regular beans.

Is Peaberry coffee better than the others?

When you hear about a new type of coffee, you wonder whether it is really special or is it all marketing. The best way to find out the answer to this question is to taste the coffee yourself – however, let me tell you some facts before deciding if the hype is real.

Peaberry coffee, according to many coffee aficionados, tastes sweeter, lighter, and more flavourful than ordinary beans from the same batch. However, the general view is that, while it may have a distinct flavor, it is far from steady or consistently superior. It is also important to note that this coffee, according to some coffee roasters, is simpler to roast because of its rounded form, which allows them to roast more readily than their flat-sided siblings. Others argue that the process is more challenging for the same reasons. So, as you can see, thoughts differ and you can come across every type of opinion. The challenging part is not knowing which one to believe.

Some argue that because a coffee cherry concentrated all of its “juice” into producing one seed rather than two seeds, its bean may have a distinct flavor character. It has yet to be demonstrated that anything continuously “better” from one peaberry to the next can be relied on. However, all of these do not mean it’s not worth a shot! Peaberry is loved by a lot of people around the world and in some cases, it costs more expensive than a regular coffee. The main part is to not walk in expecting to get anything very unique. Instead, it is a better idea to allow it to be just an excursion for your taste senses.

Peaberry VS Regular coffee bean

One main difference between Peaberry and regular coffee beans might be the caffeine concentration. Peaberry coffee beans contain somewhat more caffeine, particularly those from the Robusta coffee plant. To be more precise, regular coffees have a caffeine concentration ranging between 1 and 1.3%, while the same for Tanzanian Peaberry is 1.42%.

However, if we are talking about a greater taste, it is still highly dependent on the origin, roast, and extraction. Regardless of how many beans emerge from each coffee cherry, coffee from Indonesia and East Africa tends to taste stronger than coffee from Hawaii or South America, especially in a darker roast.

Peaberries are also considered denser than ordinary beans in addition to having more caffeine and being rounder and smaller. All of these factors have an impact on the roasting process. Peaberries cook more uniformly and need various changes to the heat setting and roasting time. Because of density, a lengthy, consistent, and meticulous roast is necessary to guarantee that the flavors develop evenly throughout them. All of this can obviously lead to some distinct flavor profiles.

Frequently Asked Questions on What Is Peaberry Coffee