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From Blossom to Bean: The Journey of Coffee Fruit

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A Fragrant Beginning

Every cup of coffee begins with a flower. After a prolonged period of rain, coffee trees burst into bloom, producing delicate white blossoms that fill the air with a sweet scent reminiscent of jasmine. This magical moment signals the start of a new harvest cycle.

Macro photograph of three large white coffee blossoms in full bloom, their delicate petals and intricate stamens clearly visible, evoking the fragrant beauty of jasmine flowers during the early coffee harvest season
White coffee blossoms in full bloom, fragrant as jasmine, signaling the start of a new coffee harvest season.

Though many trees rely on bees and other insects for pollination, Coffea arabica has a special trait — it can self-pollinate. As long as the flowers aren’t knocked off by wind or rain, each one promises a fruit to come.

The Long Wait

Once pollinated, the transformation begins. But it’s a slow one. Coffee cherries can take up to nine months to ripen. Unfortunately, they don’t ripen all at once — a challenge for producers. Should they harvest all cherries at once and risk a mix of unripe and overripe fruit? Or should they carefully pick only the ripest cherries, one pass at a time, increasing labor and cost? It’s a delicate balance between quality and efficiency.

Close-up of a rough, weathered hand picking a ripe red coffee cherry from a branch filled with green, yellow, and overripe dark fruits, illustrating the selective hand-harvesting process.
A hardworking farmer’s hand carefully selects a ripe coffee cherry among a mix of unripe and overripe fruit — a testament to the precision and care in specialty coffee harvesting.

The Coffee Fruit

Outside coffee-growing countries, many people have never seen a coffee cherry. These small, vibrant fruits start green and change color as they ripen — from yellow to deep red, and occasionally, orange, depending on the variety. Red cherries are easier to judge for ripeness, which is why yellow varieties, while just as delicious, are often avoided. Ripeness correlates with sugar content — the riper the cherry, the sweeter and more complex the flavor of the final coffee.

Surprisingly, the fruit’s flesh is quite tasty — sweet and refreshing like honeydew melon with a bright acidity. However, it’s not juicy and clings tightly to the seeds inside.

Close-up of a whole ripe red coffee cherry next to a halved cherry showing the fleshy pulp surrounding the coffee seed, highlighting the internal structure of the fruit.
A whole coffee cherry alongside one cut open, revealing the sweet flesh and the bean inside

From Fruit to Bean

Inside the coffee cherry lies the treasure we know so well: the coffee bean. Each fruit usually contains two seeds, flattened where they grow pressed together. These seeds are wrapped in several protective layers — the parchment and the silverskin — which are removed during processing.

Occasionally, a cherry will contain just one rounded seed. These are called peaberries, making up about 5% of the harvest. Believed by some to roast more evenly and yield a sweeter cup, peaberries are often separated and sold as a specialty.

Side-by-side comparison of a round peaberry coffee bean and a flat-sided regular coffee bean, both shown in cross-section to highlight the difference in shape and structure.
Cross-section comparison of a peaberry and a regular coffee bean — the single, rounded peaberry is said to pack more flavor due to concentrated nutrients.

A Journey Worth Celebrating

From a fragrant white blossom to the roasted bean in your cup, coffee’s journey is long, delicate, and full of care. Each sip is the result of months of growth, careful harvesting, and precise processing. Next time you brew your morning coffee, pause to imagine the blossom that started it all — high on a misty hillside, swaying in the breeze, bursting with the promise of flavor to come.