Just read that coffee cherries are a real fruit you can eat, not just a bean wrapper

I was watching a documentary about coffee farms in Colombia and they showed workers actually snacking on the ripe red cherries. The narrator said they taste sweet, kind of like a mild watermelon or hibiscus. I always thought they were just a useless husk you throw away. Has anyone here ever tried one, or know a farm that sells them fresh?

3 comments

3 Comments

reese_johnson6921d ago

Yeah, they're super sweet when ripe. You can sometimes find them at high-end coffee shops that get fresh shipments in season.

the_felix20d ago

That bit about the mild watermelon taste is spot on. I read a blog from a roaster who visited Brazil and said the same thing. @reese_johnson69 is right about some shops getting them, but they spoil crazy fast so it's a real niche thing. Most of the fruit just gets composted after the bean is taken out, which seems like a waste. Would be cool if more places found a way to use it.

emery_taylor20d ago

Oh wow, my buddy brought a few back from a Costa Rica trip once. He said they were weirdly juicy and the flavor totally caught him off guard. Wonder if you could grow the plant at home just for the fruit?