At the tips of the branches, where less of the sap reaches, some of the cherries contain only one bean. Very much sought after by coffee merchants, these peaberry or caracol beans have more flavour, according to their aficionados, because it is all concentrated into a single bean.

This single bean will not have a flat side; rather, it will be small and almost completely round with a tiny crevice that splits it halfway down the middle. Sorted and collected together, peaberries sell at a slightly higher price than do normal coffee beans from the same trees. Many people swear that the peaberry flavour is better. According to coffee folklore, peaberry grades are considered superior to normal grades from the same crop. Typically, peaberry is more buoyant and more brightly acidy, more complex in the upper aromatic ranges of the profile but somewhat lighter in body than comparable normally shaped beans.

Typically around 5% of all coffee beans harvested are of this form.