A coffee bean is part of a seed from the cherry of a Coffee Tree. While often referred to as a bean or a cherry or roast, a coffee bean is actually neither. Instead it is a drupe, which is closer in nature to the pit of a peach or a cherry[1].
Generally, the seed consists of two halves (although it may contain as many as three parts[2]), each with one flat side and one rounded side. Occasionally, a cherry will contain a single rounded bean, commonly referred to as a peaberry. The bean is surrounded by a thin skin, referred to as parchment[3]. The bean itself often has a greenish hue to it prior to being processed and roasted.
References[]
- ↑ William H. Ukers (1922). “The Botany of the Coffee Plant”, All about Coffee, 136. ISBN 0810340925.
- ↑ William H. Ukers (1922). “The Botany of the Coffee Plant”, All about Coffee, 136. ISBN 0810340925.
- ↑ William H. Ukers (1922). “The Microscopy of the Coffee Fruit”, All about Coffee, 149. ISBN 0810340925.