S4: Episode 4: Peaberry Curious? Let’s Spill The Beans
In this episode we are on a side quest to explore an intriguing little round coffee bean known as a peaberry or caracol. What is behind this coffee's name, is it in fact a ‘novelty coffee’ and is it worth the higher price it often commands? These questions and more will be answered along with this week’s FACQ: is peaberry coffee better than regular - or ‘normal’ - coffee? Listen to find out!
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Hello and welcome to The Coffee Drinker’s Guide, a podcast for the coffee curious where I explore and explain the world of specialty coffee to make your daily coffee better and more satisfying.
I’m Angela Holder a coffee roaster and writer on a mission to fight back against bad coffee by giving you the knowledge you need to help you get good coffee and a happier (coffee) life in coffee-break sized episodes. So grab your coffee, pull up a chair and take a break…
This week's episode is all about a funny little round bean…and later I’ll be answering a question about whether its difference makes it a better coffee so stay tuned for that…
In Spanish this bean is called caracol, meaning snail or caracolillo meaning little snail. In English we call it a peaberry and there is no denying that it is an attractive looking coffee bean. But I have to say that for me peaberry coffee balances delicately on the edge of being what I call a ‘novelty’ coffee. A novelty coffee is one that is sold purely on the basis of appearance, shock value - Kopi Luwak I’m looking at you - or for any other reason that is not based on the quality of its flavour. And it should be noted that often these points of difference, not surprisingly, command higher prices. I say peaberry coffee balances on the edge because as we will get into, these beans do have a particular flavour characteristic. Peaberry coffee is not rare per se but there’s not a lot of it around either. When you do see it for sale, the fact that it is a peaberry coffee is definitely made a thing of on the packaging - implying ‘if you know, you know’. So I thought it was time to tackle peaberry coffee so that the next time you see it you will know…
So firstly peaberries and the bean
OK, let’s dispel a myth: there is no special peaberry coffee bush. And it is not a specific coffee variety, in case you were wondering. Peaberry coffee beans can grow on any coffee bush and are in fact a natural mutation of the seed of the plant. This mutation makes them little and round with a shape that is reminiscent of a rugby ball or an American football instead of having the familiar flat face of most coffee beans. Where coffee seeds usually grow as a pair within a coffee cherry, flat faces together, a peaberry is the result of being the only seed to develop inside a particular coffee cherry. Around five to ten percent of any given coffee harvest will be peaberry beans and if you look through just about any batch of coffee you will find a few peaberry beans within it. So to have a coffee that is made up of 100% peaberry beans they need to be picked out at the green bean grading stage and put aside as a special batch. So if you were wondering why peaberry coffees are sometimes more expensive than regular coffee - this extra processing step is the reason. You are most likely to see peaberry coffees from countries like Kenya, Costa Rica and Tanzania who take the effort to separate them out of their harvests. When it comes to roasting, the very dense nature and small size of the beans makes them a little tricky to roast successfully as dense beans need high heat but small beans can burn easily. That said, some roasters like the round shape which they say allows more even cooking of the beans.
Next peaberries and the taste
Aside from their distinctive look, peaberry coffees are known for their bright acidity. By which I mean those sharp-sour fruit flavours that remind you of berries and citrus fruits amongst others. Acidity may sound like something unpleasant but in fact it is prized by professional coffee tasters as in coffee it balances the other basic tastes of sweetness and bitterness and contributes to it’s complexity. If you want to know more about acidity in coffee, check out my episode ‘Why acidity in coffee is a good thing!’ I’ll put the link in the show notes. But while acidity is a Good Thing it is not the be-all and end-all of a coffee’s flavour. Some people do report that peaberry coffees have a good depth of flavour, but in my experience peaberry coffees tend to emphasise acidity at the expense of mouthfeel and flavours like chocolate and caramel. Or in other words, they are all top note and no bass. If you are someone who loves fruity sourness in your coffee you might love a peaberry but for me, even as someone who prizes acidity in coffee, its not one that I would reach for first.
Finally peaberries and the brew
Honestly there isn’t much that can be said about how peaberry beans affect the brewing process. As they are small and somewhat dense you may find that you’ll need to use a slightly finer grind to get the best out of the beans, which is something to be aware of. Perhaps the main thing to note is to factor in the high acidity or fruitiness of the peaberry to your choice of brewing method. A brewing method that emphasises acidity - such as espresso - could result in an extremely sour brew! But on the other hand if your brewing method or the quality of your water tends to flatten the brew making it taste dull this acidity may be exactly what you need to add that bit of a sparkle to your cup.
And now its time for a Frequently Asked Coffee Question…
And this episode’s question is…
Is peaberry coffee better than normal coffee?
It really depends on what is meant by ‘better’. It is unusual in appearance and there is an element of scarcity to peaberry coffee due to the smaller quantity that is produced in any given harvest. Both of these may lead to the perception that the coffee is worth more, or is ‘better’, so to speak, than other coffees. In terms of the flavour, I have seen conflicting assessments, with some saying that they love its high acidity and others saying that the flavour is nothing special. I guess it depends on if you like acidic coffees. In terms of its green bean quality peaberry beans have to be specifically picked out of the main harvest which allows the opportunity to select the best beans. But as with all coffees, the quality of the flavour of peaberry coffee is dependent on a range of factors beyond its shape or how it grew in the cherry. And as far as I am aware these beans have no special health giving properties nor do they differ in their caffeine content to other coffee beans. All I will say is that if you like acidic coffees a peaberry coffee might be better for you but if you really don’t you might want to pass on this one.
Thank you for listening to this episode of The Coffee Drinker’s Guide and that was all about peaberry coffee. Have you ever drunk a peaberry coffee? What did you think of it? Let me know on Instagram @thecoffeedrinkersguide, email me at thecoffeedrinkersguide@gmail.com or leave me a text message using the link in the show notes. In the next episode we are exploring natural coffee and how it has taken hold of the specialty coffee scene in recent years. If you have no idea what I am talking about be sure to hit follow so that you don’t miss it, if you haven’t already. If you love word search puzzles my book Wordsearch for the Coffee Curious is now available to buy and the link is in the show notes. And as always if you have a coffee friend who you think would like the show please share your favourite episode with them and rate and review this podcast wherever you listen to your podcasts to help other coffee curious people find the show too. Thanks to my executive producer Viel Richardson at Lusona Publishing and Media Limited. You can find him at lusonapub.co.uk. Until next time I’m Angela Holder thanks for taking your coffee break with me - the best way to tackle life is one coffee at a time and here’s to better coffee!
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