A peaberry is a coffee cherry that grows one round bean instead of the usual two flat ones. Normally two seeds grow face to face inside each cherry, which is why most coffee beans have a flat side. Sometimes only one seed develops, and it fills the space as a small, oval, rounded bean. Figures vary by farm, but usually somewhere around 5–10% of a harvest comes out as peaberries. Farms sort them out by size and sell them separately.
Does peaberry taste different?
You'll hear it said that peaberries taste sweeter or more concentrated. The honest answer is that the origin, variety and roast matter far more than the bean's shape. What the shape does change:
- More even roasting. Round, same-sized beans roll evenly in the drum, so each batch roasts very consistently.
- Careful selection. Peaberries are hand- or machine-sorted into their own lot, and that extra sorting tends to go with extra care overall.
So peaberry is less a different coffee than a carefully sorted one.
Our Colombian peaberry
Our Colombian Peaberry comes from Huila and Cauca, at 1,400–2,000 metres. It's fully washed and roasted medium-dark in St Austell to bring out rich milk chocolate, caramel and red berries, with a soft citrus lift. The body is medium-full and the acidity balanced, so it's easy to drink black or with milk.
How to brew it
- Cafetière: 16g of coffee to 250ml of water just off the boil, steep for 4 minutes. See our cafetière guide.
- Filter or pour-over: 15g to 250ml brings out the berry notes.
- Espresso: works well, with a sweet, chocolatey shot.
Quick answers
Why is peaberry more expensive?
There are fewer of them, and sorting them out takes extra work.
Is peaberry a variety of coffee?
No. It's a natural quirk that can happen in any coffee plant, arabica or robusta.
Where does peaberry come from?
Anywhere coffee grows. Tanzania and Kenya are well known for it, and Colombia produces excellent lots.
