Peaberry coffee: Not a Pea Nor a Berry

Peaberry coffee explained.

TL, DR:

Ever since we debuted our Kenyan peaberry coffee from the Kurias of Solai, people keep asking: What is peaberry coffee really? Is it special? A marketing stunt? How is the taste different from regular coffee?

A quick refresher on coffee: coffee is a fruit, and the beans are actually seeds from inside the cherry. Normally, each cherry grows two seeds. They develop flat-sided and pressed together, like Red Sox fans on the Green Line after a walk-off win at Fenway Park.  Sometimes, only one seed develops. That solo seed grows smaller, rounder and denser. That’s the peaberry.

Some say it roasts better. Some say it tastes brighter. Some say it’s just a round bean with a cult following and a good story. We’ve sourced it, roasted it, tasted it, and had multiple discussions about our own peaberry coffee. Here’s our response to your questions.

What is Peaberry Coffee?

Peaberry coffee is a naturally-occurring single seed mutation found in about 5–10% of coffee cherries. Only one seed develops per fruit. That solo seed, the peaberry, grows smaller, rounder and denser than their two-seeds-to-a-cherry siblings. It’s not a pea nor a berry. It’s simply a natural fact of coffee development.

It is also not an easy-to-detect trait. Farmers and processors don't know which fruit has a peaberry until they harvest and the cherries. At scale, peaberries are sorted out from the rest of the beans when screening them by shape, size and density. Kenya has a standardized grading system that includes a peaberry grade. You may have heard of AA and AB grade Kenyan coffees. PB, for peaberry, is also part of our grading system.

Some coffee origins double-down on peaberry than others. You may have heard of Hawaiian Kona Peaberry or Tanzanian Peaberry. The truth is, peaberries are not restricted to a certain geography or origin. James Hoffmann, basically the David Attenborough of coffee, calls peaberry a mutation, not a miracle. We agree.

Given that it happens rarely and is denser than other beans, the next question we get is usually along the lines of:

Is Peaberry Coffee Better Than 'Regular' Coffee?

Well, let's not generalize and say better. We can refine the question and explore things like the taste, how it roasts, and more.

Some people say peaberry coffee tastes better because “all the goodness of coffee is packed into one seed instead of two”.  Others think it is the same as other coffee. While there’s no scientific consensus on flavor superiority, we’re totally and unabashedly biased. We love the Solai Peaberry and so do our customers. As one person put it, “I hope I’m not the first to tell you that this coffee absolutely rule. The peaberry is incredible.”.

As one person put it, “I hope I’m not the first to tell you that this coffee absolutely rules. The peaberry is incredible.".

On caffeine content, studies conducted show marginal differences in caffeine content between peaberry and flat-faced beans from the same crop.

What We’ve Noticed at CoffeePlus254

After roasting multiple lots of Solai peaberry, here’s what stands out:

(considering caveats on sample sizes, subjectivity and nuances of roasting between any two cycles)

• We’ve had to lower charge temperatures slightly to avoid roasty notes. Still, these initial temperatures are higher than average, because these are dense, high-altitude beans. *charge temperature being air temperature in a drum roaster right before dropping the beans in.
• In the cup, it consistently delivers bright acidity especially on the first sip. As it cools down, you get more of the blackcurrant, winey characteristics.
• For a medium roast target, we perceived that peaberry had more body than AB grade from the same farm.

For the roasters in the audience, what we’ve noticed is that the charge temperature needs some adjustment. We compared peaberry and AB grade coffee from the same farm and found that we had to lower initial temperatures with peaberry slightly to develop the roast while minimizing roasty, baked notes on the coffee.

By the way, the charge temperatures are still higher than standard because these are dense, high-altitude beans. However, there is a risk of underdevelopment in the center of the bean by roasting fast and at high initial temperatures.

Peaberry Across Origins (What We Know, and What We’re Still Tasting)

Peaberry coffee shows up in growing regions around the world. Kenya, Tanzania and Hawaii are well-known for having peaberry coffee. What’s the difference between the peaberries from these origins? Well, flavor isn’t just about location. It’s about altitude, varietal, processing, and roast. And unless you’ve cupped every peaberry on Earth (you haven’t, we haven’t), it’s best to speak with curiosity, not certainty.

Here’s what’s generally observed:

• Kenyan peaberry is often praised for its brightness and clarity with citrus notes. It tends to be roasted to medium level and not dark, to highlight the brightness.
• Tanzanian peaberry tends to lean toward rounder, more mellow profiles relative to Kenyan ones, with frequent mention of chocolate notes.
• Hawaiian Kona peaberry is typically described as smooth and mellow, with nutty or buttery note but this varies by roast.

These observations are based on medium roast levels of peaberry. Most roasters go medium to dark for these beans.

How to Brew Peaberry Coffee

Edit: *how to brew our peaberry coffee.

We’ve seen our customers brew Kenyan peaberry every which way including slow-drip methods to overnight cold brews. Here are a few (highly summarized) methods they swear by.

Note:

• Unless specified, we’re generalizing that 1 cup of coffee is about ~240ml (~8oz) and 1 tablespoon is equal to about 5 grams of coffee beans.
• We use a ratio of 1 part coffee to 16 parts water for all methods below, except cold brew.
• The recipes below are tailored for 2 cups of coffee so 30 grams of coffee for a final 480ml of water (16 oz).
• The Specialty Coffee Association recommends 195 – 205 degrees Fahrenheit for brewing coffee. In case you are wondering what specialty coffee is all about, the SCA published a white paper defining specialty.

Chemex and Pourover

• Grind 30 grams of coffee beans to a medium-coarse texture, like kosher salt.
• Boil 480 ml water to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Rinse filter with the hot water then add coffee grounds.
• Add water, 2-3x the weight of the grounds, to the coffee to release the gases in the coffee.
• Pour the rest of the water in 3 equal parts, waiting for the water to filter through each time.
• Enjoy!

Drip coffee maker

• Grind 30 grams of coffee beans to slightly coarser than kosher salt.
• Add 2 cups of water to the water receptacle.
• Brew.
• Pour yourself a cup and enjoy!

French press

• Grind 30 grams of coffee to a coarse level. It should look like coarse kosher salt.
• Heat 480 ml water to 198 – 202 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Pour grounds into French press then pour hot water.
• Steep the grounds in the water for about 5 minutes then push the plunger down.
• Pour yourself a cup and enjoy.

Cold Brew

We brew our cold brew at a higher concentration. This is because when served with ice, the melted ice will dilute the brew further.

• Grind 30 grams of coffee to a coarse level.
• Pour grounds into a cheesecloth, fine mesh or grounds compartment if you're using a brewer.
• Steep in 240 ml of room temperature water.
• Leave your setup for 12 - 18 hours. We recommend refrigerating it overnight.
• Serve with ice per your preferences.
  • This would make about 4 cups for us.
  • To make cold brew, we've used the Takeya brewer.

Give these a try as a starting point then adjust to your liking. You can change the coffee to water ratio or adjust the grind size or water temperature. If you don’t have a thermometer, bring the water to a boil. Then, set it aside for about a half minute to cool down before use.

Finally,

Now you know. Peaberry refers to the bean type. It is not a special coffee tree variety or a marketing gimmick. It really is a naturally-happening quirk, though rare.

Tastewise, peaberry coffee flavor depends on the coffee's origins. It is also influenced by the processing and how the beans are roasted. Our best advice is to try some and see what fits your palate and preferences best.

We can say with certainty that we appreciate the dedication it takes to produce high-quality coffee. This includes the farmers and players in the coffee value chain involved in getting the coffee to our cups.

And if you ever want to cup peaberries side-by-side and debate roast curves over a Chemex, we're game. Just don’t make us ride the Green Line after a Red Sox win.