What are the derivative varieties of Robusta coffee beans? What are the cultivation advantages of Robusta coffee beans

There is a coffee variety that, while relatively uncommon in daily life and less appealing in taste, still occupies a very important corner of the entire market. This is Robusta, which we affectionately call "Robusta beans" in the coffee circle. Below, FrontStreet Coffee will discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Robusta beans.

Robusta's Greatest Advantage: Extremely Strong Survival Ability

From a biological perspective, Robusta belongs to the Coffea canephora species, also known as the Congo species or medium-fruit coffee. Just as we often hear that Geisha belongs to the Arabica species, but within the Coffea canephora species, only Robusta has been commercially cultivated and promoted, so Robusta has almost become synonymous with the Coffea canephora lineage. Tim and Catimor, varieties derived from natural hybridization between Robusta and Arabica, are now also widely cultivated and are classified under the broader Arabica category.

From a cultivation perspective, Robusta coffee trees can tolerate high temperatures, cold, drought, and humidity, with extremely high survival rates. Additionally, its caffeine content is high (1.7%-3.0%), about twice that of Arabica. Caffeine, as a natural pesticide for plants, protects Robusta from most insect damage. A single Robusta plant yields a high amount of fruit, with berries slightly rounder and smaller than Arabica coffee berries. The beans are flat and round with straight creases in the middle.

Precisely because of Robusta's tenacious vitality, high yield, rapid maturation advantages, plus strong environmental adaptability, it can generally be planted in low-altitude plains and can be directly managed and harvested using mechanized unified systems. Therefore, the production costs required for Robusta cultivation are lower, making it more suitable for commercial mass production, and naturally, the selling price is cheaper. For example, the vast majority of coffee planted in Hainan, China is Robusta beans. Despite these benefits, why do people still look down on this variety, and even look down on the hybrid varieties derived from Robusta and Arabica?

The Taste of Robusta Beans is a Fatal Flaw

In our daily lives, we can often see Arabica variety coffees promoted as "100% Arabica," but it's almost difficult to find "100% Robusta." This starts with the taste of Robusta beans.

Analysis shows that Robusta beans have very high chlorogenic acid content and lower sucrose content. Chlorogenic acid is the source of bitterness in coffee, while sucrose is the prototype for the various aromatic substances we perceive in coffee. Therefore, Robusta beans typically have low acidity, with a mellow, deeper bitterness, and flavor profiles including walnuts, peanuts, hazelnuts, barley tea, and grains. When not processed properly, they can also exhibit strong, pungent earthy flavors and negative rubber-like tastes. This has led people to summarize it as the "Robusta flavor." For example, the Catimor variety most widely planted in Yunnan, China, carries 25% Robusta genes, so its flavor is often criticized.

Deep-roasted Robusta beans accumulate large amounts of gas, and when extracted into espresso, they release rich crema. The solid flavor profile also provides more body to the coffee. We all know that traditional coffee flavors tend toward strong bitterness and body, without too much acidity, which aligns with the flavor characteristics of deep-roasted Robusta beans. This is also why Robusta beans still survive in the current specialty coffee era.

Although nowadays people still predominantly consume Arabica coffee beans, in recent years, due to climate and environmental issues in various coffee-producing regions, the growing conditions for coffee have become increasingly poor. Coffee cultivation will face great challenges in the future. Since Robusta's inherent survival ability is quite good, it's likely that more hybrid coffee varieties with Robusta lineage will emerge in the future.

You Can Give Robusta Beans a Light Try

Today, as the atmosphere for learning coffee knowledge becomes increasingly popular, many friends also hope to taste the flavor of Robusta coffee. However, top-tier Robusta coffee requires more investment in production, so the selling price is high. Moreover, the overall flavor of Robusta beans is rich and intense, not within everyone's acceptable range, so FrontStreet Coffee suggests starting with espresso blends containing Robusta beans.

As FrontStreet Coffee mentioned above, deep-roasted Robusta produces abundant crema when extracted. Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee wanted one of its espresso blend coffees to present rich, aromatic crema, so it added 10% washed Robusta coffee beans. Combined with Colombian washed coffee beans (30%) + Brazil natural pulped coffee (60%), it forms FrontStreet Coffee's commercial blend coffee beans. The resulting espresso has abundant golden crema and nutty aroma. When tasting, there's a caramelized coffee bitterness, but it's accompanied more by a creamy, full body. After swallowing, the bitterness dissipates, leaving a fragrant aftertaste.

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