Peaberry
Encyclopedia
Peaberry, also known as caracoli, is a type of coffee
bean. Normally the fruit of the coffee plant
develops as two halves of a bean within a single cherry, but sometimes only one of the two seeds gets fertilized, so there is nothing to flatten it. This oval (or pea
-shaped) bean is known as peaberry. Typically around 5% of all coffee beans harvested are of this form.
Normal coffee beans are less commonly called by contrast flat berry.
Peaberry coffees are particularly associated with Tanzanian Coffee, although the peaberry variety of Kona coffee
has also become quite prominent.
Peaberry beans are widely reputed to roast better than flat berries, being said to roast more evenly, because their rounder shape minimizes sharp edges and allows the berries to roll about the roasting chamber more easily as well as because the alleged higher bean density may improve heat transfer in the roasting process. However, some sources claim that these effects are minor and that the major benefit of peaberry beans is that they have been carefully selected, which is essential for optimal quality, regardless of bean shape.
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
bean. Normally the fruit of the coffee plant
Coffea
Coffea is a genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. They are shrubs or small trees native to tropical and southern Africa and tropical Asia. Seeds of several species are the source of the popular beverage coffee. Coffee ranks as one of the world's most valuable and widely traded...
develops as two halves of a bean within a single cherry, but sometimes only one of the two seeds gets fertilized, so there is nothing to flatten it. This oval (or pea
Pea
A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
-shaped) bean is known as peaberry. Typically around 5% of all coffee beans harvested are of this form.
Normal coffee beans are less commonly called by contrast flat berry.
Peaberry coffees are particularly associated with Tanzanian Coffee, although the peaberry variety of Kona coffee
Kona coffee
Kona coffee is the market name for coffee cultivated on the slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa in the North and South Kona Districts of the Big Island of Hawaii. It is one of the most expensive coffees in the world. Only coffee from the Kona Districts can be described as "Kona"...
has also become quite prominent.
Roasting
Peaberry beans roast differently from the corresponding flat berry beans; hence, to ensure an even roast in high-grade coffee peaberry beans are separated.Peaberry beans are widely reputed to roast better than flat berries, being said to roast more evenly, because their rounder shape minimizes sharp edges and allows the berries to roll about the roasting chamber more easily as well as because the alleged higher bean density may improve heat transfer in the roasting process. However, some sources claim that these effects are minor and that the major benefit of peaberry beans is that they have been carefully selected, which is essential for optimal quality, regardless of bean shape.