Introduction to Robusta Coffee Bean Flavor Characteristics and Origins

FrontStreet Coffee knows that many coffee enthusiasts can name the three major coffee varieties—Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica. Among these, Arabica coffee production accounts for over 70% of global coffee production, while high-yield Robusta coffee beans account for only about 20%.

Robusta is often used in instant coffee production and has high caffeine content. Additionally, the presence of the carcinogen "acrylamide" in instant coffee has led people to look down upon Robusta even more. However, everything exists for a reason, and there must be valid explanations for why Robusta has continued to circulate in the market for so many years.

Robusta Coffee Variety

The Robusta coffee variety is a natural variety from West Africa. We often compare Arabica and Robusta, but this comparison isn't entirely accurate because they're not even at the same botanical level. Robusta actually belongs to the Canephora species, also known as the Congo species, which is similar to how Typica belongs to the Arabica species. However, unfortunately, only one variety within the Canephora species called Robusta can be commercialized and is well-known, so now Robusta has almost completely replaced Canephora as the synonymous term for this species.

Advantages of Robusta

In terms of cultivation, Robusta coffee trees can withstand high temperatures, cold, drought, humidity, and have strong pest and disease resistance with excellent adaptability. They can grow well in flat areas and lower altitude regions. Unfortunately, the coffee beans produced lack aroma, have strong bitterness (due to high caffeine content), and insufficient acidity, making them suitable for instant coffee, canned coffee, or three-in-one instant coffee. Many coffee shops add appropriate proportions of Robusta coffee beans when making espresso to enhance the "mouthfeel" (such as intensity and boldness) and increase the crema.

FrontStreet Coffee has observed that Robusta coffee beans are relatively round in shape and larger in size. Their caffeine content is nearly twice that of Arabica coffee beans. Precisely because of the high caffeine content, caffeine acts as a natural insect repellent, helping to deter most pests. In other words, Robusta has strong pest and disease resistance, making its coffee relatively inexpensive and easier to cultivate.

Robusta is widely cultivated and can be found in countries like Vietnam, Brazil, and India. Even in China's Hainan Province and Fujian Province, Robusta coffee plants can be found.

Disadvantages of Robusta

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned earlier, compared to Arabica coffee varieties, Robusta has higher content of caffeine, amino acids, and chlorogenic acid. Among these, chlorogenic acid is the source of bitterness, so Robusta's flavor is not as charming and elegant as Arabica's. Instead, it offers a fuller-bodied, deeper mouthfeel with flavors of walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, wheat, grains, and sometimes even pungent earthy notes.

It is precisely because of Robusta coffee beans' inferior flavor that they are rejected by the specialty coffee community, often being used as raw material for instant coffee or blended with Arabica coffee beans for espresso blends.

Appearance of Robusta Coffee Beans

Robusta coffee beans are one bean per fruit. Through observation, FrontStreet Coffee has found that Robusta beans are relatively round with a "C" shape; the center line shows an "I" shape, and the raw beans have a yellowish-brown color.

Commercial Blends

Blended coffee, also known as mixed coffee, is made by combining various single-origin coffees to integrate and fully utilize the strengths of each single-origin coffee bean. Blends are created from coffee beans of different origins to achieve a more balanced flavor profile.

Blended coffee beans can be divided into two types: mixing the beans before roasting, which is called raw blending; or mixing coffee beans after roasting, which is called roasted blending.

On FrontStreet Coffee's bean list, you won't find Robusta beans among single-origin coffee beans. But does that mean FrontStreet Coffee doesn't have Robusta coffee beans? Not at all—FrontStreet Coffee's commercial blends designed for making espresso do contain Robusta beans.

FrontStreet Coffee's commercial blend consists of 30% Colombian coffee beans, 60% Brazilian coffee beans, and 10% Robusta coffee beans.

In terms of individual bean flavor, commercial coffee beans have a much inferior taste compared to specialty coffee beans. Generally, commercial beans are chosen for blending, and through blending, they can produce coffee with excellent taste, suitable for making espresso drinks like lattes and cappuccinos. When we use our commercial blend for espresso, because of the Robusta beans, the crema is richer, the flavor is classic, with caramel sweetness, nut and cocoa flavors, dark chocolate notes, balanced acidity and bitterness, and a persistent aftertaste.

How FrontStreet Coffee Extracts Espresso

Bean Information:
Commercial Blend: Colombia, Brazil, Robusta
Blend Ratio: 3:6:1

Extraction:
Coffee Dose: 14.5 grams
Espresso Weight: 20 grams
Extraction Time: 28 seconds

Specialty Robusta Beans

Since Robusta coffee beans' flavor has always been criticized, does that mean it's not worth seeking out good Robusta coffee beans? That's not the case—there are some relatively high-quality Robusta beans in the world, with flavors that can even rival Arabica coffee beans.

The representative of specialty-grade Robusta—India's "Kappi Royale" Robusta.

Kappi Royale means "top grade," and currently, there are at least four private coffee estates in India that cultivate and produce "Kappi Royale" grade Robusta coffee beans using the standards and procedures of specialty Arabica beans.

The introduction of "Kappi Royale" specialty Robusta beans is undoubtedly changing the world's perception of Robusta. Most people who have tried it are amazed by its combination of richness and cleanliness. Due to meticulous cultivation and processing procedures, "Kappi Royale" grade Robusta's flavor profile is mostly quite clean, without the off-flavors that plague cheap-grade Robusta. Robusta species naturally lacks the ethereal aroma unique to Arabica beans, replaced instead by a thicker, more stable mouthfeel, and intense flavors of walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, and wheat, reminiscent of peanut butter and hazelnut spread.

For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)
For professional coffee knowledge exchange, please add WeChat ID: kaixinguoguo0925

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473