Coffee "Bean"

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The coffee bean is not a bean at all, it is the seed of the coffee plant (the pit inside the red or purple fruit). The fruits better known as coffee cherries or coffee berries, most commonly contain two stones rounded on the outside and flat on the other side, with their flat sides together forming a round pit. Coffee beans consist mostly of endosperm that contains 0.8 - 2.5 % caffeine, which is one of the main reasons the plants are cultivated. Coffee beans are an important export product for some countries.

The name "coffee bean" derives from the Arabic language (qahwa - "coffee" and bunn - "berry"). The name bean is not botanically accurate as the Coffee plant is not a member of the Fabaceae family. These pits are roasted and ground to make coffee grounds,coffeemeal and coffee powder.

Species of coffee plants include Coffea arabica, Coffea benghalensis, Coffea canephora, Coffea congensis, Coffea excelsa, Coffea gallienii, Coffea bonnieri, Coffea mogeneti, Coffea liberica, and Coffea stenophylla.
The seeds of different species produce coffee with slightly different taste.