Coffee Beans Are No Beans But Seeds

Coffee Beans
Freshly Roasted Coffee Bean
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he seeds of the coffee tree are called coffee beans. However, the word bean is used incorrectly in everyday speech because of their resemblance to beans. They are found inside of the coffee cherries. Most of the time cherries contain two seeds or beans. There are also berries that contain just a single seed. This anomaly is called a peaberry.

Why do coffee beans contain caffeine?

Coffee beans are the source for coffee. Seeds from Coffea Arabica consist of 0.8-1.45% caffeine, while seeds from Robusta plants consist of 1.7-4% caffeine. Coffee plants use caffeine as a plant defense against herbivorous animals.

 However, caffeine is not an effective protection against the coffee-bean-loving luwak or palm civet cat…

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© Glenn Fleishman

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