Exploring California Coffeeberries

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frangula californica berries unripe
Photo by Hank Shaw

In all the world of coffee substitutes, this one is the closest to the real thing that I’ve yet tried. Closer than acorn coffee, closer than dandelion coffee, even closer than my other favorite, chicory coffee. What is it? Coffee made from the California coffeeberry and its cousin, the Sierra coffeeberry.

I mean, the name alone should tip you off, right? But many believe the common name comes from the fact that the plant itself looks like a real coffee bush, and it does. What’s more, the seeds of this plant don’t look much like actual coffee beans, so maybe they’re right. But the roasted “coffee” you make with these plants is more than worth your time and effort.

First, the plants. They are now known as Frangula californica and F. rubra; there is also a F. purshiana, which I have not yet tried. All used to be in the Rhamnus genus, but are no longer, probably for genetic reasons. California coffeeberry lives in California (obviously), as well as Arizona, Nevada, Oregon and New Mexico. Sierra coffeeberry only lives in California and Nevada. F. purshiana lives in California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Idaho and Montana. Sorry Easterners, no coffeeberries for you, although you have another plant, the Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioicus) that is apparently similar in flavor; I’ve never tried it.

Also known as buckthorns, these are all shrubs of varying height, ranging from scrubby little two-footers to great big 12-foot-tall monsters. Most stand about 7 to 8 feet in my experience. They all like chaparral and similarly dry places, or at least dryish — I know of a bunch of California coffeeberry bushes at Tomales Bay State Park, which isn’t exactly desert. I also tend to see them a lot with other berries, like currants, gooseberries, buffaloberries, salal and huckleberries.

The berries ripen in late July and August here in NorCal, and I suspect a month earlier in Southern California and even earlier in Arizona. They go from green to pale yellowish to red to blackish purple. You want to collect them when they are black. If you look at the berries of the Sierra coffeeberry up close, they look remarkably like little prune plums.

Ripe California coffeeberries
Photo by Hank Shaw

Picking is easy, as they are large berries that come off the bush readily. And remember, you want the seeds, so you don’t have to be too delicate with the berries anyway.

Can you eat the berries? Sure. I’ve eaten a handful or two, my friend Josh has made a pie with them, and I’ve heard of others who have juiced California coffeeberries and drank whole glasses of the stuff with no ill effects. That said, there is ample evidence that the berries have at least some laxative effect — but then again most berries will give you the shits if you eat too many of them, right? I think the flavor is just OK, sweet, a little figgy, not all that interesting. But not offensive at all.

You’ll hear a lot about these plants being poisonous or emetics or whatever, but that’s the leaves and bark, not the berries. A great many Native groups did use the park as an aid to throwing up, or as a laxative in smaller doses. Incidentally, you’ll see a lot of laxatives in the Native American pantry here in California, in no small part because acorns, their traditional staple, are very constipating if you don’t leach out the tannins enough. So these berries are the yin to that yang…

As for the coffee, while I was vaguely aware that you could make a coffee from the roasted seeds, my interest was piqued by my colleague Christopher Nyerges’ book Foraging California, where he mentions making California coffeeberry coffee. He doesn’t provide details, so I had to figure that one out myself. Here’s what I found works best:

For every 1 pound of coffeeberries, expect a little less than a quarter pound of roasted seeds. (Most of my experiments are with F. californica and F. rubra, so F. purshiana might be different)

Photo by Hank Shaw
Photo by Hank Shaw

Start by putting the berries in a pot. Just barely cover with water and boil for 5 minutes. This loosens the berry from the skins. Run the cooked berries through a food mill with a medium setting: Large enough to let the pulp get through easily, small enough to block the seeds.

Periodically spoon out the pulpy seeds into a bowl. Be careful as the purple pulp and juice will stain anything they touch. Compost the pulp or make jam or whatever. For this, it’s the seeds you want.

Fill your seed bowl with water and gently massage the seeds under the water; this loosens any remaining pulp. Pour off the water. You can let the few seeds that float go as a sacrifice, or you can pick them out by hand. Fill the bowl again, massage the seeds again, and pour the water off. I find it usually takes me 4 to 5 changes of water to get perfectly clean seeds, which range from beige to chocolate brown.

Lay the seeds out in one layer on a baking sheet and let them dry out. When they dry, the seeds will look just like green lentils. Now you’re ready to roast.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put the baking sheet with the seeds in the oven and roast for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring from time to time. Remove the beans and let cool. Grind only when you make the coffee, as they seem to lose flavor quickly.

When you are ready for some coffee, grind your seeds. You will immediately smell them, and be happy: California coffee smells a lot like regular coffee, with something like a mocha overtone.

ground California coffee
Photo by Hank Shaw

Use a little more ground California coffee than you would regular coffee, but brew as normal. Straight, it’s lighter in color than regular coffee, and a tad yellower. The flavor is naturally a bit sweet (although I still add a little honey) and really does taste a lot like store-bought coffee with a chocolaty mocha thing going on. I add a touch of cream to mine.

california coffee with without cream
Photo by Hank Shaw

So there you have it. Coffee from a local shrub that is really, really common in many parts of the West. And yes, I know: There’s one vital question you have about this coffee. Sadly, the answer is no. So far as I can tell, California coffee has no caffeine. Alas.

One last thing: Like regular coffee beans, the oils in California coffeeberries will go rancid at room temperature within a couple months. Store unground roasted seeds in the freezer.

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

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31 Comments

  1. Well hello there! I am on this site because I was researching Sierra Coffeeberry toxicity after enjoying a delightful half-cup or so and thinking, “I’m probably going to die in roiling agony tonight. Ha-ha!” I was spewing purple vomit on the side of the road within ten minutes. The plant was most definitely Sierra Coffeeberry. Just wanted to add to the information pool concerning this fruit…..my guess is that some people have reactions to it and some do not. The same way that Benadryl makes some folks sleepy, while for some it hypes them up. Alright, I am headed to bed to sleep off the rest of this nausea….

  2. I found a bunch of these plants in the Laguna Mountains, east of San Diego. I gathered a few pounds, roasted the seeds, then made a strong batch of the “coffee” with my espresso machine. I used the coffee to make a liqueur similar to Kahlua, with brown sugar,, vodka, and vanilla bean. It turned amazing.

  3. I grew up with these bushes lining the park next to my house, Dad was terrified I’d eat the berries, because as you mentioned, many have heard it’s poisonous. Though at the time I didn’t like coffee (I was a kid), I sure wish I hadn’t grown up fearing those berries!!

  4. Hank: Calscape and USFS both say F. purshiana much more likely to be found in Northern California than down south (here) in the San Gabriels but, more interesting, Calscape claims F. purshiana has “three” seeds in each berry. Mine had two. Not saying wrong, because I’m far from a plant expert, but I’m still leaning towards too strong a brew. Perhaps, several other errors made in haste. I didn’t dry my seeds well before roasting. I didn’t roast for 30 minutes. I just havested another 1/2 pound of seeds (dried weight taken after several days) and I’m going to start over. The berry pulp was aved and is being fermented. If the coffee hurts (again) the alcohol will kill the pain (or the patient). I’ll let you know.

  5. Well, I tried my hand at this and things didn’t go so well. My brew came out dark and tasted great but both the wife and I suffered ill effects – both ends. I think (and I haven’t worked up the guts to test this theory out) I brewed my batch too strong. I used a French Press. In addition to the dark chocolate color the Joe was a bit thick. I’m thinking, less and a filter paper next time.

    1. Glenn: There are several varieties of California coffeeberry. Maybe you got the wrong kind? Maybe you got the F. purshiana?

  6. Is it ok for my puppy to teeth on the branches? We have several on our property as well as a Toyon and puppy loves to chew on both bushes while lounging under them ?

  7. Can these berry plant grow in extreme weather ? Over 120F like in Southern California. Like in the Imperial or Cochella Valley climate?

  8. I grew up with these coffee berries in San Benito County. They were far too bitter to eat as berries. There would be an occasional bush that had a better flavor, a bit of an apricot flavor, but eating more than a few berries was just nasty.

    I used to bark the bush, dry it and it makes a good laxative made into a tea. I’ve never tried making coffee from it and I never heard of it until reading this article. Thanks.

    Perhaps the berries taste better in other localities.

    1. Stephen: Yes, there are many species of this plant all over the West. Mine are actually quite sweet when ripe.

  9. Thanks for all the info/research; Benicia State park has some of these about half ripe. I want to try making some coffee later in June/July.

  10. I went camping in the Sierra Nevada mountains, specifically at pigeon flat, and these were everywhere. When I tried it I thought it tasted like bell peppers.

  11. Agree, need more California coffeeberry recipes. Also, I’m not finding a follow via email option for your blog. Please let me know how to receive your blog in my email inbox. Thanks!

  12. I just found this page and we have Sierra Coffeeberry growing all over the place on our property. I harvested 2 cups so far and followed the rest of your directions. You are correct in your description and we even saved the left over juices from blanching to make an awesome syrup that tastes of grape, honey and fig. Thank you for opening our eyes to the native plants in California-Nevada.

  13. Anyone tried roasting these like coffee in a home roaster/popcorn popper? I wonder how that’d work. You get a more even roast than in the oven but it probably depends on the weight of the seeds. And I think part of the point of that is to get rid of the chaff, which gives an off flavor… I don’t know if these even have chaff.

  14. Yaupon doesn’t live in the west, but it does live in the US! We have the best around from FL if you care to try it at yauponasitea.com

  15. Hank, have you ever tried yaupon holly tea? It’s supposed to have the highest content of caffeine out of all the plants in the U.S.

    1. I’ve made tea with other hollies here in northern California, including Ilex aquifolium and Ilex cornuta. Both produce a good buzz. I. cornuta is more pleasant tasting to me.

    1. What about it? 😉 Go for it. I didn’t feel like waiting, and this method gets you clean seeds in 15 minutes.