Is Coffee Technically a Fruit Juice?

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Coffee beans come from coffee fruits, so it makes sense to wonder if coffee is a fruit juice. Especially if you’re looking for a reason to drink more of it.

Is coffee technically a fruit juice?

Coffee is not a fruit juice; it is better defined as the infusion of the seeds of a fruit.

Fruit juice is produced from the flesh of fruits. But since coffee beans are seeds and not fruit pulp, they do not qualify as fruit juice. Besides this, fruit juice is typically produced by squeezing, crushing, or blending fruit flesh. But coffee is made by infusing coffee beans with water.

We explain the concepts above further in the rest of this article. We talk about what makes coffee a fruit, what is considered fruit juice, and much more.

Is Coffee a Fruit?

Coffee itself is not a fruit. However, coffee fruit is a fruit. Coffee fruit also goes by the names coffee berry and coffee cherry.

Coffee fruit presents as a small, round stone fruit about the size of grapes, and like grapes, it grows in clusters. In the early stages, coffee fruit is typically green. However, as it becomes riper, it becomes yellowish-red, deep red, or purplish-red.

As you would expect of stone fruits, coffee seeds (also known as coffee beans) lie at the center of coffee fruits. Of course, as you may already know, these seeds (coffee beans) are extracted and processed for making coffee.

Coffee cherry has a firm, bitter skin with sweet, juicy flesh. The flesh has an undesirable layer underneath that feels a bit slimy. However, this layer plays a crucial role in protecting the coffee beans inside.

What Is Considered a Fruit Juice?

By definition, fruit juice is any juice derived from whole fruit or the flesh of the fruit. Depending on the type of fruit used, you cannot add colorings, sugars, flavorings, sweeteners, or preservatives to fruit juice.

The many brands of fruit juice out in the world fall into one of 3 descriptions. These descriptions are:

Fruit Juice From Concentrate – Fruit juice from concentrate is the juice extracted from fruit after reducing the water content. After the water content of the fruit is reduced, the concentrated juice is frozen and shipped to where it will be packed. Once it arrives at its destination, fruit juice packers add water to reconstitute the juice.

Not From Concentrate Juice – This type of fruit juice is lightly pasteurized, frozen, or chilled before it is transported to where it will be packed after it is extracted from a fruit.
Freshly Squeezed Juice – Freshly squeezed juice is a type of fruit juice used immediately after extraction.

Is Coffee Fruit Juice?

Going by the definition above, coffee is not fruit juice.

Coffee is made from roasted coffee beans (roasted coffee seeds) and not the flesh of coffee fruit. So, it does not meet the requirements to be called a fruit juice.

Is Coffee a Fruit Tea?

Coffee is not a fruit tea. Fruit tea is any infusion obtained from cut pieces of dry or fresh plant parts or fruit.

Fruit tea contains several antioxidants and vitamins that help to cleanse the body of toxins and keep the immune system healthy. But more importantly, they do not contain caffeine.

Like fruit tea, coffee contains antioxidants and vitamins. However, unlike fruit tea, coffee contains caffeine. And as we stated earlier, it is obtained from the seeds of the fruit and not the flesh. Therefore, coffee is fundamentally different from fruit tea.

Is Coffee a Juice or a Soup?

Coffee is neither a soup nor a juice. From our definition of fruit juice, we have already established that coffee is not a juice of any form.

The word juice is primarily used when referring to the liquid obtained from squeezing moist fruit. However, it may also refer to the fluid found in roasted meat. But even if we go by the second definition, coffee is still not juice.

Soup is any liquid food that is served hot or warm. It is made by simmering or boiling vegetables, meat, or fish with water, stock, or milk. Based on this definition, we cannot classify coffee as a soup. Coffee is made from coffee beans, which do not qualify as a primary ingredient for making soup.

Coffee is better described as an infusion, much like teas. It is prepared by brewing and steeping roasted coffee beans with hot water.