Peaberry

Peaberry, known in Spanish as caracolillo, is a special type of coffee bean. Most coffee beans grow in pairs inside the fruit of the coffee plant. Usually, these two beans press against each other, making them flat on one side. But sometimes, only one bean gets fertilized, and it grows alone. This single bean becomes oval or pea-shaped, and we call it a peaberry.

Peaberry beans are not very common. About 5% of all coffee beans harvested are peaberry beans. Even though they are rare, many people think peaberry coffee tastes better because the bean grows alone.

Peaberry coffee is especially famous in Tanzanian coffee. But it is also well-known in Kona coffee from Hawaii. These special beans make coffee that many coffee lovers enjoy.

Roasting

Peaberry beans cook in a different way than flat beans, so they are often separated to make the roasting process more even. Peaberry coffee tastes different from coffee made from normal beans because its shape changes how it roasts. It is usually brighter and more complex in smell but lighter in feel compared to coffee from normal beans. However, the idea that peaberry beans cook better because of their round shape has not been proven.