Discover the flowers that give rise to the flavor and aroma of cocoa, coffee, and vanilla

    Did you know that the aroma and flavor of coffee, cocoa, and vanilla come from the flowers that give rise to their fruits? Discover more here.

    coffee flower
    The small, white, star-shaped flower of the coffee plant has a sweet and pleasant fragrance, often compared to jasmine, which can intensify at night. Credit: Press release.

    When we enjoy a delicious latte or pour-over, or an exquisite chocolate or vanilla dessert, it’s easy to forget that they come from a plant—more specifically, from its flowers.

    That’s right. Flowers play a fundamental role in forming the compounds that determine the flavor and aroma of cocoa, coffee, and vanilla. Discover how this happens.

    The flower that gives rise to coffee beans

    Starting with coffee—did you know that the plant originated in Ethiopia? Over the centuries, coffee spread across Africa, the Middle East, and eventually, the rest of the world.

    The coffee plant (Coffea sp.) blooms for the first time at around three to four years of age. Small, delicate white flowers grow at the junction of branches and leaves, releasing a sweet fragrance. Six to eight weeks after pollination, the cherry appears where the flowers once were; the cherry is the plant’s fruit, from which the beans are extracted. Inside the cherry are the seeds—the coffee beans we use to prepare the drink.

    The flower is the starting point for the productivity and chemical composition of coffee, influencing the sugars, acids, and aromatic compounds that develop during ripening.

    The white coffee flower is star-shaped, small, and highly fragrant, with a sweet scent reminiscent of jasmine. It grows in clusters and symbolizes the renewal of a new harvest, playing a key role in coffee-bean production. The flowering period usually lasts a few days, transforming the coffee plantation into a visual and aromatic spectacle.

    The cocoa flower

    The cacao tree (Theobroma cacao) originates from the Amazon basin in South America. It is a medium-sized tree, reaching up to 8 meters tall when cultivated, and up to 20 meters in its natural habitat.

    Its flowers are very beautiful—small, pink and white—and they grow on the tree trunk, resembling tiny orchids. They are pollinated by small insects such as midges of the genus Forcipomyia.

    cocoa flower
    A mature cacao tree produces around 100,000 flowers per year, of which fewer than 5% are fertilized, and only 0.1% develop into fruit. Flowers that are not pollinated fall from the tree within two days.

    Each flower that grows on the trunk produces a fruit; only properly pollinated flowers develop into fruit, which becomes the cacao pod. Inside the pod are the seeds (beans), the base ingredient used to make chocolate as we know it.

    The cocoa flower has a soft, fragrant, almond-like floral aroma, especially when the tree is in full bloom. Fresh cacao has a white, sweet pulp with a slightly acidic, floral flavor.

    The beautiful vanilla flower

    Vanilla planifolia is a species of orchid, known as vanilla. It is the only edible orchid in the world. Vanilla is native to Mexico, a climbing plant that can reach up to 10 meters tall, very aromatic, with a green, cylindrical stem.

    Vanilla flowers vary in color—white, greenish, and yellow. Their fruits are a type of green bean, from which vanillin is derived, the compound responsible for the spice’s characteristic aroma and the source of vanilla pods.

    vanilla flower
    The orchid Vanilla planifolia, known as vanilla, whose extract is used in various preparations. The green pod that grows on it is the fruit, where the seed forms.

    The flowers require manual pollination in nearly all producing regions of the world. This is because each flower opens for only one day, and if it is not fertilized during that time, the fruit (the vanilla pod) will not form.

    Therefore, the spice has a high price due to its manual, intensive, and labor-intensive cultivation, as well as the need for hand pollination, which limits production.

    News References

    De onde vêm os sabores: as flores que dão origem ao café, cacau e baunilha. October 12, 2025. Rafaella Dorigo.

    Baunilha: de onde vem o aroma da planta e porque ela é tão cara?. February 16, 2022. Carol Fernandes.

    Conheça a Planta do Café. June 14, 2020. Perfect Daily Grind/Redação.