Robusta Coffee Beans vs Arabica Flavor Differences: Where Are the Best Robusta Coffee Beans From?

FrontStreet Coffee is often asked why Robusta coffee beans can be widely grown in regions like Vietnam. Aren't coffee beans all grown at high altitudes? How do Robusta coffee flavors present themselves? I've heard that Vietnamese brewed coffee is all Robusta, so why isn't it unpleasant to drink? In this article, FrontStreet Coffee will discuss Robusta coffee beans.

Q1: What are the essential differences between Robusta and Arabica?

Although both Arabica and Robusta grow in the coffee belt between 45 degrees north and south latitude, we often say that Arabica is cultivated at altitudes above 800 meters. Arabica has high requirements for growing conditions and weak resistance to pests and diseases. Robusta is cultivated at altitudes below 800 meters, has extremely strong adaptability, and shows stronger resistance to pests and diseases. This raises two issues: resistance to pests and diseases, and adaptability to the environment.

Growing conditions: The global coffee growing belt lies between the Tropic of Cancer and Tropic of Capricorn, and Robusta is no exception. However, Robusta's growing conditions are not as demanding as Arabica varieties. Robusta can grow at lower altitudes and higher temperatures. It grows faster than Arabica and has higher tolerance to extreme weather conditions. Robusta is widely cultivated in countries such as Vietnam, Brazil, and India. Among them, Hainan in China also grows Robusta. FrontStreet Coffee often mentions that to have a coffee with rich flavors, you need good coffee varieties and high growing altitudes. So, regardless of other factors, just considering growing conditions, the altitude where Robusta is grown already determines that its flavors won't be as rich as Arabica's.

Disease resistance: We generally know that Arabica varieties have 44 chromosomes, while Robusta has 22 chromosomes; generally, the more chromosomes, the higher the genetic complexity and more advanced, but Arabica is self-pollinating, while Robusta is cross-pollinating. Pollination involves the genetic process. Under normal circumstances, cross-pollinated plants have higher quality—offspring produced through cross-pollination possess genetic traits from both parent plants, likely generating new characteristics that help them survive in changing environments. Therefore, self-pollinating Arabica is quite fragile, and its genes become increasingly singular during continuous reproduction (without the involvement of external genes). Thus, if certain diseases appear (such as leaf rust), they might wipe out coffee plants with the same genes. Robusta's strength lies in its ability to continuously change genes to adapt to the environment.

Pest resistance: Robusta's caffeine content ranges from 2.7% to 4%, twice that of Arabica. Caffeine, as a natural pesticide for plants, can protect them from most insect damage. Caffeine is the most commonly used psychoactive drug in the world for humans, but in nature, it's a natural insecticide that can paralyze insects that ingest caffeine-containing plants. This is also why Robusta's caffeine content is several times higher than Arabica's. Survival of the fittest through natural selection—this is precisely the core idea of Darwin's "On the Origin of Species."

Q2: Do Robusta beans have poor flavor performance?

Robusta has higher caffeine, amino acid, and chlorogenic acid content. Chlorogenic acid is the source of bitterness, so Robusta naturally lacks the ethereal aromatic fragrance unique to Arabica beans. Instead, it offers a richer, lower-bodied taste, with flavors like walnut, peanut, hazelnut, wheat, and grains, and sometimes even pungent earthy notes.

Q3: Are there hybrids of Robusta and Arabica?

Yes! This is where FrontStreet Coffee brings up their hybrid—Catimor. Catimor is a combination of Arabica and Robusta varieties. Robusta has good resistance to leaf rust, rich oils, high yield, and is easy to cultivate. After hybridizing with Arabica's Typica, Catimor gained 25% Robusta genes. It improved resistance to leaf rust, retained rich oils, and also acquired some of the rich flavor characteristics of the original Typica variety. Through cupping, FrontStreet Coffee found that Catimor coffee beans retain the gentle acidity of Arabica and the rich flavor characteristics of Robusta.

Q4: Why isn't Vietnamese coffee unpleasant to drink?

Because the flavor extracted from Robusta through Vietnamese drip filters is quite strong and not suitable for direct drinking, locals add condensed milk and milk to the coffee. With the assistance of condensed milk, the coffee doesn't become unpleasant to drink. So how is Vietnamese coffee brewed?

First, take the press screen of the Vietnamese drip filter, put in 10g of medium-fine ground Robusta coffee powder, then place the press screen and press gently. Pour 100ml of 94-degree water. After dripping is complete, remove the filter cup and add condensed milk, milk, and ice cubes.

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