Does Robusta Belong to Specialty Coffee - Are Robusta Coffee Beans Good Tasting

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What Are Your Thoughts on Robusta Coffee Beans?

High caffeine, high chlorogenic acid, extremely poor taste? Medicinal flavors, rubber, bitterness, leather, unpleasant sensations...

Robusta coffee beans come from a mutant variety of the Congolese species (scientific name: Coffee Canephora), accounting for approximately 25%–35% of global production. The producing regions are mainly distributed in Vietnam, Africa, Indonesia, India, Uganda, and other areas.

I remember a few years ago when the Coffee Quality Institute (CQI) began establishing a graded cupping certification system for Robusta coffee quality—the R Grader certificate. Since then, Robusta has also had its own quality standards and dedicated cupping forms.

Although I have always been promoting specialty coffee, I have never given up on Robusta. Many countries such as Italy, Australia, Europe, the United States, and many other well-known coffee roasters or cafes still use Robusta to blend formula beans, either to improve flavor or reduce costs.

I always wonder why these well-known specialty coffee shops still use such poor-quality beans. Is it for cost or for flavor?

In terms of cost, unless using over 50% or 100%, generally using about 15%–20% in the blend won't save you much money. Of course, if you roast several tons per year, that's an exception.

As for improving flavor, Robusta can increase coffee's body, complexity, and reduce acidity. However, low-quality Robusta, while adding these characteristics, also introduces numerous negative flavors.

But why? Why do those roasters insist on adding Robusta coffee beans?

What If?

What if Robusta coffee beans can also have good flavors?

Interestingly, a green bean merchant friend Zoe brought a Robusta that ranked second globally in R Grader competition. Of course, my curiosity was piqued! I asked about the price—it was 3–4 times the price of regular Robusta—but I still decided to import it. During the roasting process, during the dehydration and drying phase, there wasn't that unpleasant medicinal leather smell, but rather a faint grassy aroma. The drop point was approximately just before the second crack.

During cupping, I used the pour-over method with 18 grams to 300 grams of water. I don't particularly love the freshly ground coffee powder because of its Quaker oat flavor. Initially, I thought I might have been expecting too much, but when I started tasting—upon the first sip! The fruit acidity was much lower than the first-level acidity in the Q certification's sweet-sour-salty profile. When I tasted again, the cleanliness of the mouthfeel surprised me! The sweetness was apparent, with flavors of nuts, cashews, cream, and a faint chocolate aroma. However, without acidity, the flavor was still somewhat monotonous.

Conclusion

For me, this article is not about promoting Robusta coffee beans, but rather about how in the world of coffee, many things are not absolute. There are still many undiscovered things waiting for us to explore.

"Only without limitations can there be no limits."

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473