Bean, noun (also coffee bean): Strictly speaking, coffee beans are not beans, but rather the seed or seeds of the coffee berry (fruit of the coffee plant). They are located in the red pulp with their flattened sides facing each other. Each seed (bean) has a thin silvery skin, which is covered by a parchment skin, covered by a layer of pectin, which in turn is surrounded by the pulp. Before the berry becomes a coffee bean, all of that needs to be carefully removed. (see also: processing.) A mature coffee tree produces approximately 2.2-4.4 lbs. of beans per year.
