Peaberry: what is pearl coffee and how does it taste?

Each fruit of the coffee tree has the habit of taking care of two coffee beans. Sometimes it happens that instead of a pair of beans, only one grows. Is this anomaly a good thing?

What is pearl coffee?

When you crack open a coffee cherry, two beans usually peek out at you. But there is a genetic anomaly that causes the cherry to have only one seed. These single beans are called "peaberry coffee" or pearl coffee. The pea or pearl is strikingly reminiscent of a pea or pearl because the space in the cherry meant for two has one seed to itself. It will grow to a typically round shape.

Why does this happen? The formation of the pearl bean in the fruit of the coffee tree is probably due to weather, pollination or the way it is grown. Of thetotal production, the harvest, only 5-10% is usually pearl coffee. Thus, it is a bit of a coffee rarity, like Gesha coffee.

Does "peaberry" coffee taste better?

Given the circumstances of its origin, there are certain assumptions about the benefits of its taste. Advocates of pearl coffee will assure you of its unique taste. When the bean grew alone, it had all the care of the mother cherry. The potential for producing the perfect characteristics - flavor and aroma, would logically be there. Practically, however, it is hard to attribute the coffee's superior flavor to the fact that it grew as a "peaberry".

Pearl coffee is said to have bright acidity, higher sweetness and concentrated flavors. If we take a slightly broader view, we find that we talk about peaberry beans in the context of high quality, high altitudecoffees and exemplary growing techniques. From the entire harvest, pearl beans are thencarefully sorted. Their flavour potential is therefore determined by the quality of the particular coffee production itself.

Source: perfectdailygrind.com

Let us now move away from the non-exact assessment of taste qualities that are directly related to the uniqueness of pearl coffee. What we can say about "peaberry" beans is that they differ from regular beans in shape and density. These characteristics are very important for adapting the approach to roasting pearl coffee. Roasting unlocks the flavour potential of the coffee, which until then is hidden in the raw components of each bean. Roasting is one of the crucial steps affecting the final taste of coffee. Whether pearl or classic.

The roundness of the "peaberry" contributes to a higher rotation in the drum of the roaster. This results in more efficient heat transfer during roasting. Reaching the "first crack" phase can be faster. For the plumpness of the beans, a different physical relationship applies, or it will take more time for the heat to pass through to the centre of the round bean. Simply put: a unique coffee needs a unique roasting style.

In summary, pearl coffee: