Peaberry Coffee Beans vs Regular Coffee Beans: What’s the Difference?

You may have heard of peaberry coffee being sweeter or rarer, but what exactly makes it different from regular coffee beans? Here’s a quick guide.

Coffee grows as a cherry on a tree, and normally each cherry produces two flat seeds — what we know as coffee beans. In about 5–10% of crop production, a natural mutation occurs where only a single seed will develop inside the coffee cherry. This single seed is smaller and rounder, shaped like a pea, and that’s why it is called “peaberry.”  Through analysis, peaberries will at times contain slightly more natural sugars and nutrients, that is why they are often described as having a brighter or sweeter taste

Historically, peaberries were once kept for local consumption or discarded until it was discovered to be a valuable part of a farmer's coffee production. Because you can’t control whether a cherry produces a peaberry — even planting a peaberry seed doesn’t guarantee another one — they have to be carefully hand-sorted after harvesting. This meticulous process makes peaberries more exclusive and sought after.