How to Drink Robusta Coffee and Introduction to Robusta Coffee Bean Origins

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Robusta was once rated as coffee beans that were even more unpleasant to drink than the lowest-grade Brazilian Santos coffee. While it cannot be consumed directly, if added in small quantities to Arabica beans for blending, it can increase the body of the extracted coffee without masking the pleasant flavors of Arabica.

Although Robusta falls short in terms of acidity and sweetness compared to Arabica, its high concentration and intense bitterness are indispensable for the aforementioned industrial coffee applications. Moreover, Robusta has strong disease resistance, particularly to leaf rust - coffee's greatest enemy - and yields very high production. Therefore, it is often used in variety hybridization and instant coffee production.

Some specialty Robusta coffee beans are used in espresso bean blends to enhance the body and richness of the coffee.

Major Production Regions & Annual Output of Robusta Coffee Beans

Robusta production accounts for 30-40% of the world's coffee bean output, primarily grown in Vietnam, Indonesia, Côte d'Ivoire, and Brazil. In recent years, Brazil has been committed to Robusta production, with Robusta accounting for 30% of total production. Surprisingly, Brazil has become a major producer competing with Vietnam for the top position.

These regions typically have low altitudes and hot, humid climates, which not only allow coffee trees to grow and bear fruit without worry, but also allow diseases and pests to thrive. For Arabica varieties with weaker disease and pest resistance, healthy growth is impossible in these environments.

Robusta coffee is a natural variety from West Africa, suitable for cultivation at lower altitudes with higher temperatures. It has extremely strong adaptability, able to resist harsh climates and pest damage, requiring minimal manual care during land preparation, weeding, and pruning. It can grow wild, making it an easy-to-cultivate coffee tree.

The reason for its good disease and pest resistance is that Robusta contains large amounts of chlorogenic acid, characterized by its bitter taste. No pests or diseases want to approach such flavor, which is also why Robusta coffee beans are much more bitter than Arabica coffee beans. Also due to the high content of chlorogenic acid, some desirable coffee flavors cannot develop further.

Why Does Robusta Have Stronger Bitterness?

Although we already understand that Arabica and Robusta have significant differences, what about the differences between Typica and Bourbon, both of which are Arabica varieties? FrontStreet Coffee, after reviewing information, found that there are almost no differences between them, whether in terms of genetics or composition.

However, the compositional structure of their raw green beans differs, which greatly affects the aroma of roasted beans. Nevertheless, this difference is not as significant as that between Arabica and Robusta. Arabica and Robusta are academically different species, as different as Wenzhou mandarins and grapefruits. There are also significant differences in compositional balance, making their substantial differences understandable.

According to scholars' research and analysis, the main sources of Robusta's bitterness are:

① Caffeine, one of the refreshing bitter components;

② Chlorogenic acid, the source of coffee's main body, bitterness, and astringency;

③ Proteins and amino acids, the source of strong bitterness similar to dark beer and chocolate;

④ Low fructose content. Fructose is originally a source of acidity that can bring diversity to bitterness, creating soft and mellow flavors, but its content in Robusta is minimal. This means that acidity is barely perceptible, leading to Robusta's bitterness lacking softness, with intense bitterness overpowering astringency, forming a monotonous taste of only bitterness.

Specialty Robusta Coffee

Although Robusta is sold cheaply and doesn't taste great, it doesn't mean all beans are necessarily of low quality.

In fact, in regions like India, Indonesia, and Vietnam, competitions and auctions are also held to select specialty coffees among Robusta varieties. The active participants on this stage are not Q Graders (Quality Graders) but R Graders (Robusta Graders). For clarification, Q Graders are coffee bean certifiers recognized by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), while their Robusta version certifiers are R Graders.

In recent years, Liberica coffee from the Philippines and Malaysia has begun to enter the Japanese market. There are both supportive and opposing opinions regarding taste evaluation, making it a truly personality-driven coffee.

Some Robusta coffees that have received better cultivation and processing can retain the characteristics of high body and low acidity while presenting pleasant flavors like barley tea, nuts, and caramel. In the 2022 World Barista Championship, Japanese competitor Takayuki Ishitani used a blend of Panama Hartman Geisha and Vietnamese specialty Robusta, subverting the new generation of coffee enthusiasts' definition of specialty coffee.

Although Robusta doesn't match Arabica coffee beans in flavor, it possesses very strong body, bringing a solid and rich texture to coffee. If brewed directly, it might not taste good, but when used in blending, specialty Robusta can be said to be an excellent "partner."

Currently, FrontStreet Coffee sells a "Commercial Blend" in its espresso coffee bean series, consisting of 60% Brazilian Arabica beans + 30% Colombian Arabica beans + 10% Vietnamese Robusta beans. The mixed nut flavors from Brazilian coffee beans provide the main tone, the berry and caramel flavors from Colombian coffee beans enrich the coffee's layers, while the small addition of Vietnamese Robusta enhances the coffee's body.

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