Do you eat coffee beans?

Can You Eat Coffee Beans? Yep! And They're Even Good For You. Here's What to Know!

People are always looking for the latest and greatest health trends. Recently, many people have been talking about the health benefits of coffee. Certain studies claim that coffee can help with things like Parkinson's disease and heart disease. It may even prevent certain effects of aging.

Since coffee is such a major source of antioxidants, many believe that it can help them lead a healthier lifestyle. This begs the question: can you eat coffee beans? 

After all, since coffee has so many great health effects, it makes sense that you would want to max out the potential of these little beans. Eating them seems like a great way to cut to the chase and get the most bang for your buck! 

So can you eat coffee beans, should you eat coffee beans, and if you do eat coffee beans, what is the best method? We will cover all of this and more below!

The Scoop on Coffee Beans: Can You Eat Them?

First off, let's go over the basics of coffee beans. Can you eat them? Yes. You can definitely eat coffee beans. Should you eat them? The answer to this question is a little bit more complicated. 

If your doctor has approved the consumption of caffeine in your life, there's no reason that you can't eat coffee beans. However, eating plain coffee beans isn't exactly a pleasant experience for most people. Even chocolate-covered, dark roasted coffee beans can be an acquired taste. The texture can be pretty crunchy! That’s not to mention the taste of green coffee, which is a wholly different experience. 

Do you eat green or roasted coffee beans? 

Before we can answer this, let's briefly explain what green coffee beans are. Green coffee beans are simply coffee beans that have been picked and dried but are not yet roasted. 

You see, coffee beans come from the fruit of the coffee plant. This plant grows “cherries” which are harvested by people or machines and processed in a variety of ways. The fruit on the outside is removed and the “bean” in the center is turned into the coffee we drink. 

Green, un-roasted coffee beans are stored until it is time for roasting. They can be roasted light, medium, dark, and anything in-between. Then, the beans are packaged and sent out for distribution and sale. The fresher a roast is, the better your coffee will taste. That’s why we only ever roast our coffee fresh on the day it ships! 

Eating Green Coffee

So, now to the question of whether you should eat roasted or green coffee beans. Green coffee beans are definitely edible and have many healthy uses. However, many people describe them as being grassy, woody, and highly acidic. Without the caramelization and chemical processes that occur during the roasting process, these beans can be hard to choke down. Plus, they're pretty difficult to chew. 

If you were to consume green coffee beans, the best way to do it would be by grinding them and mixing them into some kind of a health shake. You can also add green coffee beans to certain recipes. Nevertheless, eating handfuls of green coffee beans would not be a pleasant experience. They wouldn't necessarily hurt your health, but they might crack a tooth! On a side note, green coffee beans DO contain the most caffeine. That’s why green coffee extracts are used for so many workout products! 

Eating Roasted Coffee Beans

Most of the time, people prefer to eat roasted coffee beans. The most popular way to eat roasted coffee beans is if they are first coated in chocolate. We aren't saying that this is the healthiest way, but it is definitely the most popular route. After all, chocolate and coffee are a great combination. In fact, you can find numerous chocolate-flavored coffees for sale here! These chocolate coffee flavors will tickle your taste buds without all of the additional calories. 

Back to the subject though, coffee beans generally taste better when they are roasted. This is because the roasting process helps to reduce the acidity while also helping develop specific tannins and inherent oils. The result is a flavorful and fragrant experience with a distinctive crunch. 

Keep in mind that even darkly roasted coffee beans can be pretty hard to chew. So, we wouldn't recommend eating coffee beans by the handful. Instead, you may want to consider adding them to recipes. Coffee beans can be ground and added to many recipes! This coffee bean bark, for example, is a great holiday treat that can be made very easily. Just be sure to watch your calories, as sugar isn’t the best choice if you are trying to be healthy. 

Do You Eat Coffee: Final Thoughts  

All in all, coffee beans are safe to eat. However, they should not be consumed in excess. Additionally, coffee beans can be very hard to chew so many people prefer to add them to health shakes or other recipes. 

Coffee beans are definitely packed with caffeine and antioxidants. This can lower your risk of certain health problems and increase your energy. However, eating too many coffee beans can cause some pretty unpleasant side effects. Finally, chocolate-covered coffee beans have many benefits but may also be a source of excess sugar, calories, and fat. 

If you are looking for great coffee beans to eat, brew, or enjoy in any other way, fresh-roasted beans are best. You can find many gourmet organic fresh-roasted coffee options here!