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What Does Coffee Brewed with Robusta Taste Like? Can Robusta Beans Be Used for Pour-Over Coffee?

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Often, some younger friends want to find an opportunity to experience Robusta beans at FrontStreet Coffee because they haven't tasted their flavor before. But you should know, FrontStreet Coffee doesn't casually take out these "good things" unless you first sign a guarantee that you won't leave a negative review!!! Just kidding! Today, FrontStreet Coffee is here to share with everyone

Often, some younger friends want to experience the taste of Robusta at FrontStreet Coffee because they haven't tried it before. However, FrontStreet Coffee doesn't casually offer this "good thing" unless you first sign a guarantee that you won't leave a negative review!!!

Just kidding! Today, FrontStreet Coffee wants to share with everyone what it's like to use pour-over to "prepare" Robusta beans. Before that, let FrontStreet Coffee give you a brief introduction about what Robusta beans really are!

What are "Robusta Beans"?

"Robusta beans" is a nickname people use for "Robusta." Because coffee made from this variety has exceptional characteristics, it has been singled out and given a nickname! There's absolutely no intention to isolate it~ Robusta and Arabica have a very obvious difference in appearance - the center line of Robusta beans is straight, while the center line of most Arabica beans is curved!

Currently in the market, the main commercially valuable coffee varieties are Arabica and Robusta. However, Robusta hasn't been widely spread in the specialty coffee field due to its inferior flavor profile. But Robusta beans are not without advantages - for example, they have a very high oil content! The oils can provide more body and richness to the coffee. Therefore, it often appears as part of espresso blends. Additionally, its price is very affordable, about half the price of Arabica beans. So, products like instant coffee and freeze-dried coffee prioritize using Robusta beans as raw material.

From the above, we can learn that if you want to find a coffee shop in the market that uses Robusta for pour-over coffee, the chances are very slim (there are some, but not many). Therefore, FrontStreet Coffee today will help everyone experience what pour-over coffee made with Robusta beans tastes like!

Brewing Experiment

The Robusta beans used by FrontStreet Coffee today are from the Vietnam region and have undergone dark roasting, so we will use the extraction parameters for dark-roasted beans to "prepare" it!

Brewing equipment: Kono dripper
Coffee dose: 15g
Grind setting: 11 on Ek43 (70% passing through #20 sieve)
Coffee-to-water ratio: 1:15
Brewing temperature: 88°C
Brewing method: Three-stage pour

First, we still use twice the amount of water for the bloom (30ml)! After 30 seconds, we use a small, steady stream in large circles to pour the second stage of hot water (120ml); finally, we use a large, steady stream in small circles around the center of the dripper to pour the remaining third stage of hot water (75ml); then just wait for the drip to finish, and the brewing is done!

During the brewing process, we could clearly smell a wet aroma of hazelnut and caramel. And this aroma spread very quickly, soon filling the entire FrontStreet Coffee shop. When tasting, the flavors of caramel and grains were very obvious, but more prominent was the taste of barley tea. The mouthfeel was very rich, and the bitterness was actually acceptable! The freshly brewed Robusta was quite good~

But after letting it sit for a while, as the temperature dropped, its flaws became apparent. The grainy taste intensified, with a hint of rubber flavor, low clarity, mixed with earthy notes and a bitter aftertaste - the negative sensations were very obvious.

From the above, we can see that the flavor of Robusta is indeed not outstanding. This is largely due to its higher caffeine and chlorogenic acid content compared to Arabica. With these two bitterness contributors, Robusta is much more bitter than Arabica. Additionally, the Robusta that FrontStreet Coffee tasted was commercial-grade Robusta, grown at altitudes below 800 meters. This leads to faster growth without sufficient nutrient absorption, resulting in certain flavor defects!

However, Robusta is not all bad. Nowadays, some people are trying to apply Arabica cultivation methods to Robusta to cultivate "specialty-grade" Robusta, and they have indeed succeeded! These high-quality Robusta beans taste very clean. Although the flavors still revolve around the original caramel, grain, and hazelnut notes without much change, overall, they are quite good. However, due to their rarity, it's difficult for them to reach our country for us to experience.

Well, since good things shouldn't be kept to themselves, and there happened to be friends nearby, let's all experience the "beauty" of Robusta together!