How To Make Mesquite Bean Coffee
I live in Texas and there are mesquite trees everywhere. In fact, they’re not actually a tree (more like a bush) and technically, they’re part of the legume family.
Mesquite trees are called trash trees by locals. When their bean pods drop every summer, the pods are everywhere. Many don’t find mesquite attractive, either. Landowners will simply cut them down because of how ugly they are and because their pods create a lot of trash on the ground.
I, on the other hand, have always loved mesquite trees — even before I knew that the pods were edible. It’s a unique tree and one that is a staple of the South.
As mentioned, the bean pods everyone seems to hate are actually edible and can be made into a variety of things. While you could technically eat the pods straight, they aren’t very tasty that way and should be processed.
You can grind them into meal or flour, and the flour can be used to make little cakes you fry up for a snack. You can also make a mesquite bean jelly that is sweet and delicious. The mesquite pods contain about 25% fiber, and the seeds contain about 35% protein.
The mesquite flowers themselves can be roasted and smashed into edible balls. Or you can boil the flowers in hot water for a delicious tea. The mesquite tree and the leaves can also be used for medicinal purposes. But my favorite way to use the mesquite bean pods is as coffee.
There’s no caffeine in the pods, but it does give you a caffeinated effect that some believe is due to the sugar content. Whatever the cause, it certainly wakes you up and has a nice sweetness to it (but not overly sweet).
Related Post: Caffeine-Free Coffee Substitutes That You Can Forage In The Backyard
Making coffee from mesquite beans is so, so easy. Read on to learn how to do it step-by-step.
Ingredients And Supplies
- 1 cup of mesquite beans
- Baking sheet
- Coffee grinder
- Coffee maker, pour-over, AeroPress, or French press (depending on preference)
Directions
1. Collect Mesquite Beans
Mesquite beans are ripe and ready to use when they start to fall off the tree. It’s perfectly safe to pick them off the ground. Just make sure you don’t pick any that look rotten (have little black or brown spots). You can also collect them while still on the tree. Wait for them to be hard and golden — it’s usually late summer, early fall when they are ripe. Try to collect at least a cup.
2. Wash And Prepare The Beans
You don’t need to vigorously wash the pods, just rinse and clean them as you would with fresh produce. Break off any pieces of the beans that don’t look great, such as any with black or brown spots.
3. Roast The Beans
