It is the pit inside the red or purple fruit often referred to as a cherry. Even though they are seeds, they are incorrectly referred to as 'beans' because of their resemblance to true beans.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffee_bean - check out wiki

I think they're probably not Paleo it's more an exception like wine/chocolate

If you're going by the "did cavemen eat it?" model, coffee isn't paleo, because Paleolithic man was lacking in large cast iron roasting vessels, grinders, and percolators.

If you're simply looking at it from a health benefit/detriment point of view, it's split pretty much down the middle. Caffeine spikes insulin levels, but it also increases metabolism rate. It keeps some people awake at night, and provides others with a needed energy boost. Really, it's up to you. There are plenty of people on paleo who still enjoy coffee (myself included), and plenty of others who feel better without it. Try taking it out (or putting it in) for a couple of weeks and pay attention to how you feel.

Where else do you think you're going to get your energy from when you're afraid of carbohydrates?

They aren't beans. But, there have been some studies that say it is beneficial, and one I read about that said it was good post workout for muscle recovery. Mark Sisson has written about it. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/dear-mark-should-i-consume-caffeine-before-my-workout/#axzz1y7MXCw1R

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/coffee-tea-caffeine-talk/#axzz1y7MXCw1R

Personally, I just love coffee, and I've tried to quit it in the past, but life is not the same.

It would be difficult to say if coffee is paleo. We would have to take a time machine back to 25,000 BC and see if people were eating coffee or a very similar "bean" on a regular basis. Wild coffee, if there is such, would be closer to paleo than cultivated coffee.

Coffee simply is as it is.

The only question is does coffee fit into your goals of life.

The is it paleo question is mute as far as health goes.If paleo man chewed wild crafted coca leaves it would still be unhealthy.

If coffee does not interfere with quality sleep than it is fine.

Coffee provides me with something I don't get from an early morning fruit meal, or eggs -- there is a thin edge of morning well-being that feels more like psychological motivation than bodily energy, and it kick-starts a whole self-sustaining pattern of movement and getting things done for me. Fortunately, I am happy to drink coffee black and unsweetened. If I do feel a blood sugar tilt from it, I can get a boiled egg or half an avocado to fend that off.

what about organo gold ??? http://mycapturepage.com/cp23.php?id=470