An article from Cenicafe in Colombia highlights roast difference between peaberry and flat bean coffee.
Eduardo Duque-Dussán, Paula A. Figueroa-Varela, Juan R. Sanz-Uribe
(I found this article abstract on peaberryA peaberry is a green coffee "bean" that has a rounded form: Coffee is the dried seed from the fruit of a flowering tree - each fruit having... coffee from Cenicafe fascinating since it supports the idea that peaberry
The Spanish-language term for Peaberry is the same for "snail". See Peaberry for more information on the single bean fruit of the coffee tree. A peaberry is the... roasts differently, and that the shape does matter. Nothing startling here, and not very conclusive. But it emphasizes the point that peaberry coffee should not be sold for a lower price by producers since it roasts well and cups well! -T)
Abstract
In many coffee-producing countries, the ellipsoidal-shaped seeds called peaberries are often labeled as a defectIn coffee, a defect refers to specific preparation problems with the green coffee, or a flavor problem found in the cupping process. Bad seeds in the green coffee... because of their shape and reduced size, going against the market demand for large-sized standard coffee beans. Nevertheless, the peaberry natural occurrence on the coffee plantations is significant, accounting for 5%–7% of the total harvested coffee for Coffea
The botanical genus colloquially referred to as the “coffea genus,” which is comprised of over 120 individual species. These are generally opposite-leaved, evergreen shrubs or small understory trees... arabicaArabica refers to Coffea Arabica, the taxonomic species name of the genus responsible for around 75% of the worlds commercial coffee crop.: Arabica refers to Coffea Arabica, the... L. and Coffea canephora, the most planted species worldwide. Nevertheless, recent growth in the peaberry market has happened due to exceptional cupping
Cupping is a method of tasting coffee by steeping grounds in separate cups for discrete amounts of ground coffee, to reveal good flavors and defects to their fullest.... scores for this specific bean type; however, the relationship between these scores and the shape of the bean was not yet recorded in the literature. Therefore, this research aimed to evaluate and compare the impact of the shape and size of the peaberry against the standard beans in different postharvest processes: Drying, roasting (colorimetry and inner roasting profiles), grinding (compressive and shear force tests) and overall quality by cupping analysis. Coffea arabica L. var. Cenicafé 1 was used throughout all the experiments, where advanced methods were used to increase the accuracy of the results and deeply characterize the process behavior. The results of this research allow to understand the peaberry postharvest behavior better and add significant value to this often-underrated bean condition. The peaberries demonstrated shape influence in the different evaluated parameters, allowing them to dry faster, roast evenly, avoid burntBurnt flavors in coffee are the result of over-roasting, fast roasting, or roasting in a high-heat environment. This often occurs when the initial roaster temperature when the green... spots, and collapse at homogeneous forces while attaining the same high cup scores as a standard coffee bean.
Practical applications
Understanding the peaberries’ shape and size influence different postharvest processes is crucial to comprehend their value. By gaining insights, into how these unique beans interact with stages of processingThe removal of the cherry and parchment from the coffee seed.: Coffee is either wet-processed (also called washed or wet-milled) or dry-processed (also called wild, natural or natural..., producers can control and predict their behavior leading to more consistent and optimized results. The findings of this research provide an opportunity to fully incorporate peaberries into the coffee product without considering them as defective beans or expanding market trends. Generally, peaberries were often seen as undesirable because they did not match the bean size and shape. However, their exceptional performance in drying, roasting, grinding and cupping dispels these misconceptions, highlighting their value and contribution to coffee quality. As a result, coffee producers can embrace peaberries as valuable beans without discarding or downgrading them. This newfound appreciation for peaberries does not only reduce waste, but it also diversifies coffee offerings to meet consumer preferences and enriches the industry.
Fact Sheet Synopsis from Cenicafe (Colombia)
