Peaberries

[mwatt]

Lots of questions...

My home barista magazine says that peaberries are coffee beans that grow alone in the cherry (as opposed to a cherry that typically has two beans in it). Are they like siamese-twin beans?

Also, I was just roasting some PNG 2006 crop Peaberry I got here a while back, and I noticed that whilst most of the beans are rounded (which I assume is the typical peaberry), there were a few, not heaps, but a fair few, beans that looked normal ie. flat-fronted (I hope this makes sense). Just wondering what the go is? Are these ring-ins that escaped sorting?

Also, how the heck do they know which cherry will have two beans, and which will have just the peaberry? Are they different varietals? Sorry if these questions are really stupid!

Cheers, Michelle

[JavaB]

Re: Peaberries

Michelle,

Yep, my understanding is that only one half of the seed develops (normally you get two "half seeds") and that occupies the whole centre of the cherry (so it is round and smaller).... I guess these are mutant beans and occur as a percentage of all beans on the tree - maybe some trees produce a higher percentage??

They would be sorted (I presume by hand?) and the odd normal one would get through.

[Dennis]

Re: Peaberries

Hi Michelle

Just to add to JavaBs comments...

Ive heard that peaberries are sought after because all the "goodness" is concentrated into one seed rather than two. Have also read that coffee made from peaberries and regular beans that come from the same tree will taste different.

I think there shape is also appealing for roasting purposes (even roasting due to ability to roll).

[Thundergod]

Re: Peaberries

Im currently sorting peaberries out of some Kimel I have.

I hope to get enough to sample against the rest of it.

[JavaB]

Re: Peaberries

Im currently sorting peaberries out of some Kimel I have.

I hope to get enough to sample against the rest of it.

Well if you do, I think you will find they will produce an espresso with a far more intense flavour and with more body....

Ive been roasting quite a bit of Monsoon peaberry and prior to that the PNG peaberry....

Both are great...

[marcstolk]

Re: Peaberries

Agreed!

[lucinda]

Re: Peaberries

Peaberry has a very nice flavour. The monsoon peaberry I have is wonderful - although I find it a bit too intense and am now using it to blend. It is very nice as a 25% blend with Ethiopian Limmu.

PNG peaberry is one of my all time favourite SOs.

[mwatt]

Re: Peaberries

PNG peaberry is one of my all time favourite SOs.

Mine also, actually, especially as a SO blend. (Hat-tip to Mal)

Wonder when the 2007 Crop pops up, as Im very nearly all out of the 2006 now...?

[pie_in_ear]

Re: Peaberries

Peaberries are a mutent bean, where as it was said the 1 bean grows to the shape of the cherry.
The interesting thing is that peaberries were once sorted from the regular beans and sold cheaper, as they were thought to be defected. Now they are sorted and sold as a seperate variety. The school of thought is that the single bean will contain the flavour of 2 regular beans. But it is twice the size so Im unsure of that theory.

[Rolley]

Re: Peaberries

hello!
Its interesting you said peaberries are twice the size? The pea berries Ive bought before are usually fairly small, at the largest the same size as a normal half seed.
Ive started processing the first few beans off my own trees, and the whole cheries are actually smaller, especially once youve sun dried them, theyre almost half the size!
In regards to taste etc: Ive never really found them to be significantly better than normal beans, but thats just me.. I mean, Ive had some awesome brews with both pea berries and normal beans
Rolley

[Dennis]

Re: Peaberries

Im currently sorting peaberries out of some Kimel I have.

I hope to get enough to sample against the rest of it.

Hows it going TG? Have you got 43 of those little suckers yet? In your profession, I guess bean counting is just another day in the office :P ;D

[pie_in_ear]

Re: Peaberries

hello!
Its interesting you said peaberries are twice the size?  The pea berries Ive bought before are usually fairly small, at the largest the same size as a normal half seed.

If they are graded then yes. Also when I say twice the size think the size of 2 beans put together, not longer but rounder. If you look at them straight off the tree then the peaberry has to be bigger than the regular bean if the cherry is the same size. Ive had screen size 17 peaberries which are huge. It all depends on the sorting as to what size you get.

[Rolley]

Re: Peaberries

arhhh awesome, Ive always wondered about the grading and screen sizes etc, thanks for filling me in! So far the ones Ive got off my trees are probably freak ones anyway, they were a small handfull that ripened way too early, so they are probably under-developed.. heh :

[Thundergod]

Re: Peaberries

Im currently sorting peaberries out of some Kimel I have.

I hope to get enough to sample against the rest of it.

Hows it going TG?  Have you got 43 of those little suckers yet?  In your profession, I guess bean counting is just another day in the office  :P ;D

173 so far.
Approx 25gms.
So need another 519 to get a 100gm popper batch together.

[pie_in_ear]

Re: Peaberries

 So far the ones Ive got off my trees are probably freak ones anyway, they were a small handfull that ripened way too early, so they are probably under-developed.. heh  :

I got heaps of those off my tree as well. Im unsure how they will go so Ive seperating them out from the regular beans. Unfortunately its my first harvest so if I dont get 160gms altogether Ill have to un-sort them to roast them in my sample roaster. All our rain in the last few days has made the rest of the cherries swell massively and they are about to ripen. Im finding it an interesting excersize so far though.