Why is coffee a fruit?

When we think of coffee, we usually picture a steaming cup or freshly roasted brown beans. Yet, before it reaches our kitchens, coffee grows on a tree as a small, colorful fruit. More precisely, what we commonly call a "coffee bean" is the seed of a fruit: the coffee cherry.

From flower to cherry

The coffee plant is a tropical shrub primarily cultivated in regions between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn. After flowering, its small white blossoms give way to green fruits. As they ripen, these typically turn red, although some varieties produce yellow or orange fruits.

These fruits, whose size and shape resemble those of a cherry, are therefore called "coffee cherries." Each one consists of a skin, a slightly sweet pulp, and, most often, two seeds positioned opposite each other. These seeds will become coffee beans after extraction, drying, and roasting.

Coffee is therefore not exactly a fruit: it comes from a fruit. This distinction is important because it allows us to better understand its origin and the complexity of its production.

What happens to the flesh of the fruit?

The pulp of the coffee cherry is thin but edible. Its taste is generally sweet, slightly tart, and fruity. In some coffee-producing regions, the dried husk and pulp are used to prepare an infusion called cascara . This infusion offers aromas reminiscent of hibiscus, red berries, or raisins.

For a long time, this part of the fruit was mainly considered a production byproduct. It is now more highly valued, although its marketing depends on the food regulations specific to each country.

Why do we talk about "grains"?

The term "coffee bean" became common because of the appearance of the seed once dried. Botanically speaking, however, it is indeed a seed and not a cereal.

Most cherries contain two seeds. More rarely, a single round seed develops in the center of the fruit. This characteristic is called a peaberry or "caracoli." Some connoisseurs attribute a particular aromatic profile to it, although the quality depends primarily on the variety, the terroir, the harvest, and the processing.

Does the fruit influence the taste of coffee?

Yes, indirectly. The ripeness of the cherry at harvest time plays a crucial role in the final quality. A fruit picked too early can produce vegetal or astringent flavors, while a ripe cherry generally has a higher concentration of sugars and aromatic compounds.

The method used to separate the bean from the fruit also influences the taste. In the washed process, the pulp is removed before drying, which tends to produce clean, crisp coffees. In the natural process, the whole cherry dries around the seeds, often resulting in fruitier notes and a rounder mouthfeel. There are also intermediate methods, such as the honey process, which retain some of the mucilage during drying.

A piece of fruit behind every cup

Before becoming a beverage, coffee undergoes a long process. It begins as a flower, transforms into a cherry, and then yields its beans. These are extracted, fermented or washed according to the chosen method, dried, sorted, roasted and finally ground.

Knowing that coffee comes from a fruit changes the way we look at this everyday beverage. Its notes of red berries, citrus, or tropical fruits are not necessarily added aromas: they can be naturally produced by the variety of the coffee tree, its environment, and the transformations undergone by its beans.

Behind every cup of coffee lies a tropical fruit, a demanding harvest, and a wealth of expertise. The coffee "bean" is merely the most famous part of a cherry that we have almost entirely forgotten.

Each coffee tells the story of a fruit, a terroir, and a particular expertise. A richness we invite you to discover through our selection, cup after cup.

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