What exactly is coffee – plant, bean, or beverage?
Coffee refers to three things at once: the plant of the genus Coffea, the roasted seed of the coffee cherry, and the beverage brewed from it.
Why that is
Botanically, coffee belongs to the family Rubiaceae. The coffee plant is an evergreen shrub that can grow up to 10 metres tall in the wild. On plantations, it's pruned to 2–3 metres so the cherries can be harvested by hand.
What we casually call a "coffee bean" is not actually a bean. It's the pit of a stone fruit — botanically comparable to a cherry or olive. The coffee cherry grows on the shrub, ripens over 6–11 months depending on the variety, and typically contains two seeds lying flat against each other. Occasionally, only a single round seed develops — the so-called peaberry.
From pit to cup is a long journey: harvesting, processing (removing the fruit flesh), drying, shipping as green coffee, roasting, and finally grinding and brewing. Every single step influences the flavour in the cup. Over 800 aroma compounds have been identified in roasted coffee — more than in wine, whisky, or chocolate.
Of the more than 120 described Coffea species, only two are commercially relevant: Arabica (around 60–65 % of global trade) and Robusta (35–40 %). Arabica grows at higher altitudes, tastes more complex and brighter. Robusta thrives at lower altitudes, contains more caffeine, and tastes bolder, often earthier.
In practice at Green Wall Coffee
I hear this question regularly at the counter on Sophienstraße — usually from guests holding a bag of specialty coffee for the first time and reading "washed Arabica from Ethiopia" on the back. I explain: that's not marketing speak. It describes the journey from shrub to cup. At our café in Berlin-Lichtenberg, we work exclusively with Arabica beans from specialty roasters who disclose origin and processing.
If you want to taste the difference between washed and natural processing, brew two such coffees side by side at home — and you'll understand why "bean" is never just "bean."
If you want to taste the difference yourself: Sophienstraße 27, Berlin-Lichtenberg. Mon–Fri 8am–5pm, Sat 10am–5pm.
Further reading
Related questions:
- Where Does Coffee Originally Come From?
- Who Discovered Coffee? (The Legend of Kaldi)
- When Was Coffee First Drunk in Europe?
Also relevant:
- What Is a Coffee Cherry and Is It Edible? — Growing, Origin & Climate
- What does peaberry mean? — Coffee Varieties & Botany
All questions in this topic: Coffee Basics & General