It’s safe to say that we alll pretty much know what a coffee bean looks like. But did you know that before it made its way to your cup, that it actually looked like this?
And that it’s part of a larger tree that looks like this?
I’m not kidding. This bitter drink comes from a lovely cherry plant botonically classified as ‘Coffea’. It consists of about 6,000 species of small trees and shrubs that come in all shapes and sizes. It is generally characterized by its long, waxy, verdun green leaves and soft red cherries that grow along the branch. The small flowers that bloom are a a mellow white. It’s a very beautiful plant that works hard throughout its life. One tree can yield an average of 2 pounds of green beans per year!
Now that we are familiar with the source of life’s greatest miracle, let’s get to know our coffee cherry a bit better.
The dark roasted beans we grind every morning are only a small part of a bundle. The coffee cherry is composed of many layers that protect a green bean on the inside. Starting from the innermost component, we have our green coffee beans. The pair is snuggled together in the center of the cherry. They each have their own seed skin called spermodern, or better known as the silver skin. They are then wrapped in another layer called the endocarp, or the parchment. The following layer is a thin slime sheet called the parenchyma, otherwise known as the pectin layer. After, we move onto the pulp of the fruit, also called the mesoscarp. We then finally reach the outer skin, or the exoscarp. Fun fact, the outer layers of the coffee cherry actually become a byproduct called cascara, which is a delicious drink on its own. We will learn more about that in the future!
Now that you know where your morning happiness truly comes from, I hope your appreciation for it blossoms even more!
Until our next coffee adventure!
Café Palumbo 