What are the Taste and Flavor Differences Between Robusta and Arabica Coffee Beans? What are the Characteristics of Robusta Coffee Beans and Are They Good to Drink?

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As everyone knows, there are three main varieties of coffee: Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica. The most common are Arabica and Robusta, with Arabica accounting for 70%-80% of production.

Robusta differs from Arabica. Because Arabica has elegant flavors, Arabica coffee beans are widely popular; conversely, Robusta beans have less elegant flavors and stronger bitterness than Arabica, so Robusta beans are mostly used for making instant coffee.

Robusta bean production accounts for about 20%-30% of the world's total coffee production. However, coffee farmers do not give Robusta beans the same attention as Arabica beans in production and processing. Similarly, due to Robusta beans' poor flavor reputation, many specialty coffee enthusiasts do not give them any attention at all.

Robusta coffee beans originated from the Congo region of West Africa, belonging to the Canephora species, also known as the Congo species.

Robusta coffee beans, like Arabica coffee beans, grow within the coffee growing belt between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. However, Robusta's growing conditions are not as demanding as Arabica's. Robusta can grow in low-altitude, high-temperature areas. It also grows faster than Arabica, has high tolerance to extreme weather, good resistance to some coffee seedling pests and diseases, high productivity, and doesn't require excessive care from coffee farmers.

Appearance

Robusta coffee beans have one bean per fruit. Robusta coffee beans are relatively round and C-shaped; the center line of the coffee bean is I-shaped, and raw beans are yellowish-brown in color.

Arabica coffee beans typically have two beans per fruit. Arabica coffee beans are long-oval in shape and flatter than Robusta coffee beans, with an S-shaped or C-shaped center line.

Flavor

Robusta typically has earthy notes (some consider it burnt rubber flavor), with stronger bitterness and lower acidity. Robusta has higher caffeine content, about 1.6% to 2.4%, and lower fat and sugar content, making it taste more bitter and intense. Those who like the aroma love it, while those who don't say it smells like rubber.

Arabica, on the other hand, has more complex flavors, with much milder bitterness than Robusta, stronger acidity, and a silkier mouthfeel. As the growing environment changes, its flavor also changes. For example, Indonesian coffee beans are characterized by herbal spice notes, while African coffee beans are characterized by bright acidity.

Composition

Compared to Arabica coffee beans, Robusta coffee beans contain higher levels of caffeine, amino acids, and chlorogenic acid. Robusta's chlorogenic acid content is about 7% to 10%, making it less susceptible to pests and climate impacts. Robusta coffee beans also have 60% more oil content than Arabica coffee beans. Chlorogenic acid easily creates astringency, so the lower chlorogenic acid content in Arabica varieties is beneficial for coffee quality development. Since many aromatic volatile compounds attach to oils and are released during coffee brewing, oils can explain the differences in flavor quality between Arabica and Robusta, especially in espresso.

Since Robusta beans receive so many negative flavor reviews, why can we still find Robusta coffee beans in places other than instant coffee?

Robusta coffee beans are cheaper than Arabica coffee beans, so Robusta beans are generally used to blend instant coffee to reduce production costs. However, Robusta coffee beans also appear in blended beans, not mainly for cost reduction. Robusta beans appear in espresso blends mainly to increase the body of the coffee extract and obtain rich crema. In espresso blends, Robusta coffee beans typically account for 5%-15%, sometimes even over 25%.

One of the espresso blends on FrontStreet Coffee's bean list contains 10% Robusta beans.

FrontStreet Coffee's commercial blend uses 90% Arabica beans (30% Colombian and 60% Brazilian) and 10% Robusta beans, blended raw and then roasted together to medium-dark.

In terms of flavor, FrontStreet Coffee's commercial blend is much inferior to the Sunflower Warm Sunshine blend, but it can still make good-tasting coffee. When FrontStreet Coffee's commercial blend is used for espresso, because of the Robusta beans, the crema is richer, and the flavor is more classic, with caramel sweetness, nutty and cocoa-like, dark chocolate flavors, balanced sweet and sour, with a slight bitterness and a persistent aftertaste.

FrontStreet Coffee's Sunflower Warm Sunshine blend, on the other hand, uses 70% Honduras Sherry and 30% Yirgacheffe Natural Red Cherry. After FrontStreet Coffee's careful blending, the Sunflower Warm Sunshine blend extracts a coarse espresso that has obvious fruit acidity, light berry aroma, with rich whiskey and chocolate flavors.

FrontStreet Coffee Sunflower Warm Sunshine Blend

Region: Honduras & Ethiopia

Varieties: Native, Caturra, Catuai

Processing: Washed & Natural

Because FrontStreet Coffee's Sunflower Warm Sunshine blend doesn't contain Robusta beans, its bitterness is not as obvious as the commercial blend.

Robusta vs. Arabica: Which is better?

Many specialty coffee enthusiasts who have been exposed to specialty coffee for some time tend to have a perception that Arabica is superior to Robusta. This is not actually the case. Some high-quality Robusta coffee beans can even be much more expensive than some Arabica coffee beans and are not inferior in flavor to Arabica beans.

For example, specialty Robusta coffee beans. India's "Kaapi Royal" Robusta coffee beans have changed people's perception of Robusta beans to some extent. Anyone who has tasted them is surprised by their clean flavor. Although the Robusta variety naturally doesn't have the elegant aromatic qualities of the Arabica variety, it instead offers a thicker, more stable mouthfeel, as well as strong walnut, peanut, hazelnut, and wheat flavors reminiscent of peanut butter and hazelnut jam.

Hybrid coffee variety of Robusta and Arabica: Catimor

In 1959, the Portuguese transplanted Brazilian Caturra to East Timor, where it was hybridized with the local Timor variety that has Robusta genes, resulting in the Catimor coffee variety. Later, due to the global pandemic of coffee leaf rust, with the assistance of international organizations, Catimor was heavily promoted for its strong resistance to leaf rust.

The Catimor coffee variety has genes from both Arabica and Robusta beans, and combines some excellent qualities of both varieties. For example, strong resistance to leaf rust, high productivity, and in flavor, it has some of the rich mouthfeel of Typica native varieties, with rich crema. FrontStreet Coffee's Yunnan Small Bean Red Cherry is like this.

FrontStreet Coffee Yunnan Small Bean Red Cherry

Region: Baoshan, Yunnan, China

Altitude: 1450m-1550m

Variety: Catimor

Processing: Red Cherry Natural

FrontStreet Coffee Brewing Suggestions

FrontStreet Coffee suggests using these brewing parameters: Kono dripper, 88°C water temperature, 15g coffee dose, 1:15 coffee-to-water ratio, grind size EK43s #11 (70-75% pass-through rate on China standard #20 sieve)

FrontStreet Coffee uses segmented extraction, blooming with 30g of water for 30 seconds, then continuing to pour in a small circular motion to 125g before segmenting. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, continue pouring to 225g and stop. When the water level drops and is about to expose the coffee bed, remove the dripper (timing starts from blooming). Extraction time is 2'00".

Flavor Description

The entry has the soft acidity of red berries, with obvious nutty and chocolate notes, a hint of spice, and the aftertaste is caramel-like sweetness.

For more specialty coffee beans, please add FrontStreet Coffee's private WeChat: 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