Are Coffee Beans Legumes?

Are Coffee Beans Legumes?

It turns out that coffee is not a fruit, a bean, or a legume. The part of the coffee that people use and consume is a seed from the fruit of the plant. The coffee bean that people use to make coffee is similar to the pit of a peach. When it comes to coffee there is a lot of confusion. People do not see the coffee until it has been harvested from the plant, roasted, and in most cases ground up.

What are legumes?

A legume is a whole plant or a seed that comes from that plant. This plant group includes soybeans and lentils. Beans are small items that come from the plant. Not all legumes are beans. To tell if something is a legume or not it needs to grow in a pod. The pod is broken apart and a person will eat the bean.

Does Coffee grow in a pod?

No. Coffee does not grow in a pod. This separates coffee from being classified as a legume. A coffee plant does not classify as a legume either so it does not fit to call a coffee bean a legume.

Coffee Bean is not a bean either?

If coffee is not a legume, people wonder what it may be. A coffee bean is a seed and that is it. It does not fit the definition of a legume and it should not be classified as one. It is hard to classify coffee since it does not fit into the extra definition of beans, legumes, or fruits.
Once the coffee bean has been planted in the oil it will take around five years for it to harvest the fruit that is used to make coffee.

If a person is looking for a high-quality coffee bean they should get coffee that has been grown in high elevations. This will allow the tree to mature for a longer time and the coffee is said to taste better.

Wrapping up:  Coffee Bean is not a legume or a bean!

Coffee beans are loved by many people but they are often classified incorrectly. Coffee is not a legume and does not fit the category. It does not even fit the definition of a bean. It is easy to say coffee beans and a person will understand this term. But coffee beans are actually seeds! If you are interested in the origins of coffee, check out this post on where did coffee come from.