In contrast to the desiccation tolerant (DT) ‘orthodox’ seeds, the so-called ‘intermediate’ seeds cannot survive complete drying and are short-lived. All species of the genus Coffea produce intermediate seeds but show a considerable variability for the seed DT level, which may help to decipher the molecular basis of seed DT in plants. We thus led a comparative transcriptome analysis of developing seeds in three coffee species with contrasting seed DT levels. Comparative analysis of three coffee species highlights genes that differ between desiccation sensitive and tolerant species and revealed these latter better prepared to cease respiration and avoid oxidative stresses.