Coffee is one of our favorite beverages in the world, but did you know there is another delicious way to ingest coffee?
That’s right, in addition to drinking coffee you can also eat coffee beans.
Eating coffee beans can be a great snack while also giving you a burst of caffeine to help get you through the day. Eating coffee beans was once the most popular way to consume coffee for a long time before brewing and drinking coffee eventually took over in popularity.
While eating coffee beans can be a great pick-me-up and a great snack on the go, you may not want to just go and throw a handful of raw coffee beans in your mouth and start chewing.
Eating Coffee Beans
Coffee beans are edible in any form you may find them, but some forms are going to taste better than others.
Eating Raw Coffee Beans
Raw coffee beans are what you find inside of the coffee cherry, and despite what their name would have you believe, they are not actually beans at all, they are seeds.
When you pick coffee off of a coffee tree, the coffee “bean” needs to be extracted from the middle of the cherry. The cherry itself is very much edible, but it’s not very sweet and most people do not like the taste of it, so we wouldn’t really advise eating it unless you’re really curious about it.
Once the coffee bean is extracted from the cherry it is dried and then would be considered a raw coffee bean.
These raw coffee beans are going to taste more acidic than their roasted counterparts and are going to be much harder to chew. They are completely edible, and some people do enjoy them, but as far as tasting good, you’re probably going to want to avoid them at this point.
Eating Roasted Coffee Beans
This is where it’s at!
If we had to recommend a type of coffee bean to eat it would be a roasted coffee bean. If you’re a coffee lover, you’ll love the delicious coffee flavor and texture that comes from chewing on a roasted coffee bean.
The one thing we recommend when it comes to eating roasted coffee beans is to be aware that there is a flavor difference depending on the roast.
Coffee beans that are darker, or roasted longer, tend to have a bit more flavor to them as more of the oil has been released which leads to a less acidic flavor. So if you’re looking for more of that coffee flavor we suggest looking for darker beans to munch on.
Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans
In addition to raw coffee beans and roasted coffee beans, you can also find coffee beans that have been roasted and then coated and dipped in different ingredients.
The most popular coating when it comes to coffee beans is by far chocolate.
You can find coffee beans dipped in all sorts of chocolate ranging from dark chocolate to milk chocolate. If you’re unsure about the taste, or if you’ll like eating coffee beans, starting off with chocolate covered coffee beans is the best way to get introduced to them.
Don’t Eat Too Many
While coffee beans are safe to eat, you will want to be careful about how many of them you’re eating during a sitting.
Coffee beans contain high amounts of caffeine and antioxidants which can be harmful to your body if consumed in excess. By eating the beans as opposed to drinking them, you’re exposing your body to more caffeine and antioxidants so it’s important to limit your intake.
Too much caffeine and antioxidants can lead to ill-wanted health effects like racing heartbeat, heartburn and even high cholesterol. In addition to that, just like drinking coffee, your bowel movements can be affected as well.
Coffee beans are a great snack that can provide a great pick-me-up during a long day, just remember that eating them will introduce more of the coffee properties into your body.
FAQs
Coffee beans are safe to eat — but should not be consumed in excess. They're packed with antioxidants and caffeine, which may boost energy and lower your risk of certain diseases. However, too many may cause unpleasant side effects.
Is it okay to eat raw coffee beans? ›
Is it safe to eat raw, unroasted coffee beans? Yes, although you may not like the taste. Raw, or green, coffee beans are highly acidic and are said to have a “grassy” or “woody” flavor. They are much harder than roasted beans, making them difficult to chew.
How many coffee beans can you safely eat? ›
Around 50 coffee beans roughly adds up to the daily amount of caffeine recommended per person. According to healthline - The number of coffee beans you can eat in a day boils down to the safe level of caffeine. It is recommended that a single dose of caffeine doesn't exceed 200mg and daily usage up to 400mg.
Can you eat coffee grounds for energy? ›
Yes, They're Edible
Even after they've been soaked with water and filtered, coffee grounds still contain caffeine, antioxidants, and dietary fiber - though in smaller amounts than before they were brewed.
Are there any benefits to eating coffee grounds? ›
Eating coffee gives you even more antioxidants.
According to the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, leftover coffee grounds from filter and espresso-type coffeemakers are especially abundant in antioxidants. Coffee is the number one source of antioxidants for Americans.
Can humans digest whole coffee beans? ›
Coffee beans are safe to eat — but should not be consumed in excess. They're packed with antioxidants and caffeine, which may boost energy and lower your risk of certain diseases. However, too many may cause unpleasant side effects. Chocolate-covered varieties may also harbor excess calories, sugar, and fat.
What are the health benefits of raw coffee beans? ›
The Benefits of Eating Coffee Beans
Coffee beans add a big dash of fibre to your diet (essential for healthy digestion) and are also jammed with antioxidants, which are thought to help reduce inflammation and mitigate risks of developing certain cardiovascular conditions.
How much caffeine is in raw coffee beans? ›
Caffeine in a coffee bean
There is about 6 mg of caffeine in a single coffee bean. However, this also depends on the coffee bean that is measured. While Arabica has about 12 milligrams per gram, Robusta has about 22 mg of caffeine per gram.
How much coffee in one day is unhealthy? ›
4. How much caffeine is too much? For healthy adults, the FDA has cited 400 milligrams a day—that's about four or five cups of coffee—as an amount not generally associated with dangerous, negative effects.
How much beans is safe to eat? ›
What does “regular bean consumption” mean? The U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommends eating about 3 cups of legumes—like pinto, kidney, or black beans—per week. If you eat about ½ cup of beans every day, you'll meet the weekly Dietary Guidelines for beans.
Eating unfiltered coffee grounds or whole beans can potentially raise your cholesterol. If you're drinking coffee that has been brewed through a paper filter, you don't have to worry about this—the filtration step in the brewing process removes the compounds that can cause cholesterol levels to increase.
Are coffee grounds good for your gut? ›
Coffee grounds could be a prebiotic food
A new study was released that took used coffee grounds and fermented them in a test tube with human poop. The results of their study showed that the coffee grounds helped grow some of the good types of gut bacteria found in our poop making coffee a possible prebiotic food.
What does coffee grounds do to your body? ›
Coffee grounds make a great exfoliant. The grounds do not dissolve in water, which makes them good at scrubbing away dead skin cells. Results of a study from 2013 suggest that substances in coffee also help to promote healthy skin.
Is it better to drink coffee or eat coffee beans? ›
Coffee beans give the same health benefits as brewed-and-drunk coffee. There is one extra benefit you get, though, and that's fibre. Whole coffee beans are chock-full of fibre; 30 beans contain around 10% of our recommended daily intake.
Are unused coffee grounds good for anything? ›
People usually throw these away as waste. However, people can make use of leftover coffee grounds by making them into a skin scrub, natural dye, or garden fertilizer. They can also try using coffee grounds as an insect repellent or household cleaner.
What can you use coffee beans for? ›
7 Creative & Fun Ways to Use Old Coffee Beans
- Make Cold Brew Concentrate.
- Create Coffee Artwork and Decor.
- Compost Your Coffee Beans.
- Whip Up a Coffee Body Scrub.
- Bake a Delicious Coffee Dessert.
- Try a New Brew Method.
- Create a Coffee Blend.
- Say Goodbye to Unused Coffee Beans.
Consumption of common beans (e.g. green beans, French beans) and other beans (e.g. red kidney beans, white kidney beans) without proper processing may cause poisoning due to the naturally present toxins lectins (e.g. phytohaemagglutinins). Acute poisoning symptoms may include vomiting, diarrhoea, and abdominal pain.
Is it safe to chew roasted coffee beans? ›
You can eat roasted coffee beans safely, just don't do so in excess (7-10 beans at a time or 20-30 a day). If you eat too many coffee beans at once, you might get jittery from too much caffeine or have additional side effects like upset stomach, heartburn, indigestion, diarrhea, and bloating.
Do raw coffee beans have caffeine? ›
In a single coffee bean, there are about 6 milligrams of caffeine; however, the exact measurement depends on the variety used in the coffee. For example, Arabica coffee has about 12 milligrams of coffee per gram, while Robusta coffee has about 22 milligrams per gram.
Do raw coffee beans go bad? ›
Lengthy storage times can lead to a qualitative and quantitative decline in the beans. The good news is that you can store green coffee up to twelve months without losing important flavor and aroma qualities – as long as you store it in a stable, cool, dark, and pest-free environment.
