Is coffee just bean soup? All you need to know!

Coffee is not bean soup. A soup is a liquid food that consists of poultry, fish, meat, and vegetables. Coffee beans are considered legumes and thus not vegetables. It’s also not considered a juice or a broth.

There’s something about standing in the shower and having weird thoughts running through your head and I’m no stranger to that. Lately, I’ve been thinking if coffee isn’t just a bean soup because that makes sense, right?

This is why I’ve decided to do some research about this topic so we can settle this shower thought once and for all.

Let’s get started.

Is Coffee Just Bean Soup?

If we logically consider the definition, then coffee can’t be considered a soup.

A soup is a liquid food that usually consists of poultry, fish, meat, and vegetables. But since coffee is sourced from beans, they’re considered legumes, not vegetables.

Legume is a term used to refer to any plant that belongs to the Fabaceae family, including leaves, stems, and pods; you guessed it, beans belong to the Fabaceae family.

If we keep this in mind then we’re sure about the fact that coffee isn’t a soup, since it’s not sourced from a vegetable.

Is Coffee a Bean?

Coffee beans are not actually beans, they’re seeds. But bean is a common name for large plant seeds used for human consumption.

Coffee plants are brushes that produce small red cherry-like fruits, known as coffee cherries. These seeds are extracted from those cherries which are then processed to make coffee.

After harvesting, the seeds get roasted and then can be infused with water to activate the soluble parts in order to get coffee.

So, Can Coffee Beans be Called Seeds?

Technically yes, since coffee beans are a type of seed.

Coffee is made from a type of seed that is found within the coffee plant. We talked about the bright red-like cherries on the coffee plants. Inside these cherries, you find the known “coffee bean”. When you remove the outer skin of the coffee cherries, you should find 2 seeds or pits.

Those are the seeds that are dried, then roasted to become coffee.

There’s also about a 5% chance the coffee cherries will only give you 1 pit or seed. This is actually quite rare and is known as a peaberry.

Is Coffee a Juice or Broth?

Coffee is neither a juice nor a broth.

Juice is the liquid that comes from the crushed flesh of soft fruit. This can be used to refer to the clear juices in roasted meat but it is more often recognized as a reference to liquids directly squeezed from moist fruit.

Broth is the infusion of liquids and nutrients drawn from the flesh and bones of animals such as chicken or beef by a long simmer in heated water. Vegetables can be added to this slow simmer but this changes the definition of animal-only broth into stock.

Coffee as a drink is the brewing of heated water steeped through the fine to the coarse grind of the roasted coffee beans, the seeds from the coffee plant. Coffee is more closely related to tea, another typically hot beverage that uses dried leaves and sometimes other parts of plants such as flowers, bark, and roots for the flavorings we favor around the world.

The Differences Between Beans and Seeds

Here’s a simple table to help you understand the differences between beans and seeds.

Is Coffee Just Bean Water?

Coffee can’t be referred to as bean water.

The consistency of coffee and water are very different.

Coffee beans are roasted and brewed in order to get rich flavors and aroma.

Water is taken from nature and is made with chemical molecules like oxygen and hydrogen.

Because of this reason, coffee is rather a liquid food than anything else.

Can You Make a Coffee Soup?

Yes, but this is not for everyone!

There are several coffee recipes that involve adding them to a soup. I didn’t know about this but when I tried it it was better than I expected. The bitterness of coffee brings out a unique taste.

Adding coffee can help bring out the rich flavor in the soup but keep in mind that you have to be careful when to use it in your recipes.

The Bottom Line

Coffee can’t be considered a bean soup. Coffee beans are actually seeds from the coffee plant and belong to the Fabaceae family. Soup is a liquid food that consists of poultry, meat, fish, and vegetables. Coffee “beans” are not vegetables, but legumes.

Coffee is also not a juice or a broth. The closest thing it refers to is tea but it’s not even that, It’s something on its own.