What are the Flavor Characteristics of Vietnamese Robusta Coffee Beans? What's the Difference Between Robusta and Arabica, and Which is Better?

Introduction to Robusta Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee believes that everyone should have heard of Arabica coffee. Nowadays, most specialty coffee shops serve Arabica coffee beans predominantly. For example, the coffee varieties at FrontStreet Coffee basically all belong to Arabica coffee. However, today, FrontStreet Coffee would like to introduce Robusta coffee, one of the three major coffee varieties.

Robusta coffee is actually a variety within the Coffea canephora species. However, because everyone has become accustomed to calling Coffea canephora "Robusta coffee," it is generally referred to as Robusta coffee to represent the entire Coffea canephora species.

Flavor Characteristics of Robusta Coffee

FrontStreet Coffee believes that whether a coffee has good prospects largely depends on its flavor. If a coffee exhibits potato-like flavors, then this coffee definitely has no market prospects. Therefore, the reason why Robusta coffee is often used for commercial beans or appears as instant coffee is that Robusta coffee typically lacks the aromatic fragrance of Arabica beans, instead showing more characteristics of wheat, grains, and even sometimes pungent odors. This is also one of the reasons why Robusta coffee rarely appears in the specialty coffee world.

On the other hand, not only coffee beans contain caffeine—beverages we encounter daily like black tea, cocoa, and cola also contain large amounts of caffeine. FrontStreet Coffee often hears customers say they can't sleep after drinking coffee at night. This is because caffeine has the function of stimulating the central nervous system and is addictive, commonly known as its refreshing effect.

According to FrontStreet Coffee's understanding, Robusta's caffeine content is higher than Arabica varieties. However, there's another point worth noting: Robusta coffee also contains large amounts of chlorogenic acid. You might not be very familiar with chlorogenic acid, so FrontStreet Coffee will give you a brief introduction.

Chemical Composition and Flavor Formation

Chlorogenic acid is very unstable. The chlorogenic acid in coffee decomposes into caffeic acid and quinic acid, especially when temperatures are below 80 degrees or above 85 degrees. When chlorogenic acid decomposes, quinic acid immediately releases obvious bitterness, while caffeic acid releases obvious acidity. The combination of acidity and bitterness forms the sour-bitter taste of Robusta coffee and the flavor of aged coffee.

In comparison to Robusta coffee, the content of substances like caffeine and chlorogenic acid in Arabica coffee is about half that of Robusta coffee. This is also one of the reasons why Arabica coffee has superior flavor compared to Robusta coffee. FrontStreet Coffee has only mentioned a small part of the reasons affecting Robusta coffee's flavor; factors like roasting degree also affect the substance content in coffee, but FrontStreet Coffee won't go into detail here.

The Value and Applications of Robusta Coffee

Many people think Robusta beans are "bad things" when they hear about them. However, FrontStreet Coffee believes that Robusta coffee has its own value. For example, in espresso blends, Robusta coffee holds an unshakable position.

In Italy, some regions pursue darker roasting degrees and thicker mouthfeel coffee. They add small amounts of Robusta coffee to their blends to enhance the coffee's body and richness, producing espresso with richer crema. When espresso blends with cream, it presents a rich and full-bodied taste. In milk coffee, Robusta and Arabica coffee beans complement each other, making it more intense and aromatic. FrontStreet Coffee believes that Robusta coffee beans fill in the body that Arabica lacks, while Arabica coffee enhances the aroma in Robusta coffee beans. The formula formed by the combination of these two coffee beans elevates to an art form.

Additionally, Robusta has also made certain contributions to research on new coffee varieties. Arabica coffee has very rich aroma, and its mouthfeel is more delicate than Robusta to some extent. However, FrontStreet Coffee has found that Robusta's drought resistance, disease resistance, and yield are all stronger than Arabica's adaptability. Therefore, researchers have hybridized Robusta and Arabica to select optimal genes, cultivating new varieties that simultaneously possess high-quality flavor, strong disease resistance, and high yield.

Conclusion

Therefore, although Robusta cannot compete with Arabica in terms of flavor, it has its own value for existence. As the saying goes, "If it exists, there is a reason for it." FrontStreet Coffee believes that the value of Robusta coffee still has great potential for discovery and development.

Important Notice :

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Tel:020 38364473