Are Coffee Beans Legumes? A Comprehensive Guide

Coffee is beloved around the world but many don't know it's not actually a legume! Learn more about what makes up this delicious beverage.

Are Coffee Beans Legumes? A Comprehensive Guide

Coffee is a beloved beverage around the world, but many people don't know that it's not actually a legume. Although it is called a grain, coffee is far from being a legume. A typical coffee bean is actually one of two bones inside a ruby red fruit called a coffee cherry. An exception to this is the rare peaberry, where the coffee cherry produces only one bone.

In fact, the coffee beans we consume come from the seed of the fruit of the coffee plant. You can think of them as a peach bone. So, what are coffee beans? Coffee beans are not nuts or fruits, but seeds of the cherry of a coffee tree. The answer to the question is that coffee, not a vegetable. Coffee beans are seeds and the coffee cherries they produce are fruits.

A coffee bean is a seed of the Coffea plant and the source of coffee. It is the pip inside red or purple fruit, often known as cherry. Like ordinary cherries, coffee fruit is also a stone fruit. Although we call them coffee beans, they are not legumes. In fact, we get coffee from a red cherry, which definitely makes it not a legume.

Like Brazil nuts (a seed) and white rice, coffee beans are mainly composed of endosperm. A bean is a seed that becomes a leguminous plant. Legumes are plants in which fruit is contained within a pod, such as peas, chickpeas, beans and peanuts. Even though all beans are seeds, not all seeds are beans. Beans belong to the legume family; however, you won't find coffee in that family.

Like the black sheep, so to speak. As a result, the seeds of the coffee tree are not grains. If you think that this is arbitrary information that will not affect your obsessive coffee consumption habits, I dare you to think about the following sentence: The properties of coffee seed allow it to produce intense flavor profiles that can be manipulated in its favor. The kernels and nuts containing nuts are blended together to create a rich, smooth, sweet, nutty and smooth coffee. Small batches of roasted beans are roasted along with the roasted pineapple nuts; they fall off the trees as if they were soaked and hanging. Coffee consumption affects a broad demographic group (especially children and the elderly) across a variety of health indicators, far surpassing any other form of nutritional intervention. While most coffee drinkers buy pre-roasted and ground coffee, many coffee lovers buy green coffee after the grinding process and roast it in their own homes to ensure freshness. Coffee plants grow within a defined area between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, called the grain belt or coffee belt.

And while those roasted beans offer a variety of health benefits, you can't consider a cup of coffee as one of your daily vegetable servings. We can also take advantage of National Bean Day to draw attention to the fact that coffee beans are not as hot as you might think. The best place to grow coffee plants is in a mild climate, with temperatures between 68 and 77 degrees Fahrenheit (20 and 25 degrees Celsius), and they don't like too much sun. These grains sometimes grow in subtropical climates, since they need moisture, but they are best grown in areas that constantly fall within the range of 65 to 80 degrees. These are mainly grown in parts of Africa and Indonesia and can grow at much lower altitudes than arabica beans. These unroasted coffee beans are transported to coffee roasters around the world, where they are roasted before landing in your favorite coffee shop or in your home kitchen. So while it's true that coffee beans aren't technically legumes - they're actually seeds - they still offer plenty of health benefits for those who enjoy them responsibly.

Whether you're looking for an energy boost or just want to enjoy some delicious flavor profiles from around the world, there's no denying that coffee has something special to offer.

Glenna Matthys
Glenna Matthys

Hardcore internet practitioner. Wannabe beer advocate. Infuriatingly humble beer expert. Devoted coffee evangelist. Hardcore social media scholar. Friendly beer fanatic.