What's the Difference Between Peaberry (Male/Round) and Regular (Female/Flat) Coffee Beans? Bali Peaberry, Hawaii

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What's the difference between Peaberry (round bean) and flat beans? What are the flavors of Bali Peaberry and Hawaii Kona Peaberry?

Before discussing the gender mystery of male beans and female beans, let's first understand a few things. First, coffee trees themselves don't have male and female distinctions. In fact, coffee flowers are plants that possess both male and female organs simultaneously, belonging to the Rubiaceae family of the Gentianales order. Coffee beans themselves are the core seeds of coffee fruit before roasting, and they can grow on their own when they fall into the soil. Even with just one tree, coffee fruits can be produced. Since they are hermaphroditic, there's no so-called distinction between male and female trees, and naturally, there shouldn't be differences between male and female beans. Furthermore, the English original term for "male bean" is "Peaberry" or the abbreviation "PB," and it's never called "Male Beans." The term "male bean" is just a Chinese colloquial name, but it actually has another name called "round bean."

Round Bean VS Flat Bean

Peaberry has about a 5% chance of occurring on the same tree. Coincidentally, most round beans grow at the ends of branches. In botany, there's a substance called indoleacetic acid (IAA), which is a plant hormone (indoleacetic acid usually exists at the top of plants). Based on the principle of apical dominance, fruits or branches farther from the main trunk naturally have lower efficiency in absorbing nutrients. Based on growth advantage (expanding territory outward or upward as quickly as possible), the main trunk will prioritize transporting most nutrients to the ends of branches to gain growth advantage (indoleacetic acid controls the plant's phototropism). Since generally, most Peaberries grow at the ends of branches, they naturally absorb more sufficient nutrients, which is why Peaberry beans are sold at higher prices among beans of the same grade.

In botanical terms, male beans (round beans) are classified as a type of defective bean. There are several reasons for their formation: one is that coffee beans suffer from pests and diseases before fruiting, or it could be due to situations where coffee trees encounter prolonged drought or malnutrition. Additionally, coffee beans at the ends of branches have a higher chance of forming round beans, possibly mainly because of more contact leading to poor growth. When normal coffee fruits are peeled open, there are two coffee nuts (seeds) inside, called "Type-1 (Form 1)," which is the most normal form of coffee beans, also known as female beans or flat beans in the "male-female bean theory." The other type has only one seed and presents an elliptical shape called "Type-2 (Form 2)," which is what we call round beans. There's actually only a difference in growth form between these two, not gender distinction, and the Chinese colloquial names can indeed easily cause misunderstanding.

Some coffee enthusiasts believe that Peaberry beans have better body and charming aroma, with sweeter and more fragrant flavors. Additionally, because its production is relatively rare, Peaberry has instead become a commercial means of driving up prices and selling at high prices. But in fact, Peaberry beans are sometimes discarded in some producing regions because they are considered defective beans, having no commercial value to speak of for them.

Whether male beans (round beans) actually taste better remains difficult to conclude definitively. Currently, common round beans on the market include famous ones like Hawaii Kona Peaberry, Tanzania Peaberry, Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee Peaberry, etc. Generally, as long as it's a round bean, the price will definitely be higher. Whether it's worth it depends on the personal judgment of the drinker.

The correct terminology is "Flat Beans" and "Peaberry." Under normal circumstances, a coffee berry contains two flat beans (seeds) divided in half, but in rare cases, the internal seeds don't split but instead present as a complete oval-shaped single round bean. Generally, the production of round beans is about 1/50 of flat beans.

Male bean coffee is fascinating, but coming back to the main point, we've only heard of flowers having male and female distinctions - coffee beans are seeds of coffee trees, how could seeds possibly have male and female differences? Could male bean seeds grow into male trees, and female beans into female trees? Of course, this speculation is nonsense; coffee trees have no gender differences, and each coffee flower also possesses both male and female organs simultaneously. So what's the deal with male bean coffee? Actually, "male bean coffee" is considered a deformed fruit. Normal coffee beans should have 2 seeds, but male bean coffee occurs because one seed develops poorly, making the other particularly large. And because it receives double the nutrients, its taste is better than female bean coffee.

Female beans are the coffee beans we generally see, which are half-sided, with relatively flat appearance and obvious center grooves after roasting. Male beans are complete whole beans, oval-shaped in appearance, with smaller center grooves after roasting while maintaining their original whole bean shape. Only 5% of a coffee tree's beans are male beans, with the rest being female beans, meaning that for every 100 grams of production, only 5-6 grams of male beans can be selected.

Bali's famous golden coffee beans, especially male beans, have become very rare and expensive under powerful and magical marketing. They boast that the coffee is not sour, very fragrant and strong, and are divided into male and female beans. Male beans are complete spherical beans, while female beans are hemispherical beans. Only 5% of a coffee tree produces male beans, with the rest being female beans, which is why male beans are priced higher - 6 bags for 2200 Taiwan dollars, while female beans are 6 bags for 1000 Taiwan dollars. He claims that male beans are more fragrant and mellow. In fact, during the tasting, female beans were brewed using an electric coffee machine, while male beans were brewed using a siphon coffee maker. Basically, these two brewing methods naturally have significant differences.

Hawaii Kona coffee is grown on the southwest coast of Hawaii Island, in volcanic rock soil. Green beans: Extra Fancy. Characteristics: Rich in nutty flavor and enticing aroma, sweet, gentle, and smooth in taste, medium texture, good acidity, with very rich flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommended Brewing: 【V60 Pour-Over】

Filter cup: Hario V60

Water temperature: 88 degrees

Grind size: Fuji grind level 4

Brewing method: Water-to-coffee ratio 1:15, 15g coffee, first pour 25g water for 25s bloom, second pour to 120g water then pause, wait until the water level in the coffee bed drops to half before pouring again, slowly pour until reaching 225g water, extraction time around 2:00

Analysis: Using three-stage brewing to clearly distinguish the flavors of the coffee's front, middle, and back sections. Because the V60 has many ribs and drains faster, pausing during pouring can extend the extraction time, better extracting the nutty and chocolate flavors from the final section.

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