As part owner of a Robusta farm we have noticed that most Robusta farms have way less maintenance and QC in the entirety of the process and just slap an "Artesanal" (craft) label on it and call it a day. Heavy QC leads to an enormous leap in flavor profile that can go toe to toe with plenty of Specialty Arabica Coffees. Unfortunately we are few.
I’ve had 100% Ugandan Robusta as an espresso and it’s the best I’ve had! Like he says when treated as a specialty coffee the flavour notes are incredible.
Thanks for the information, very accurate. I roast following a traditional Italian recipe, 70/30 robusta . Though I don't enjoy 100 Robusta, i do love Ara/Robusta mix. I am importing , roasting and selling traditional Italian Style, with Ara Robusta blend, single origin Vietnam, (as I lived there for many years), Customers love it, particularly milk drinkers , which is 80% of people here. But most people have heard/read that Robusta is cheap, bitter and not for good quality coffee. I also roast a 30/70 Robusta for amazing iced coffee, which tastes soo much better than 100 Ara. With an Iced coffee, we can actually do a medium roast, and keep all the flavours and depth. Whereas if you roast 100 Ara for iced coffee, you must make it very dark to reduce the acidity, so you then eliminate any origin bean flavours, and may as well use the cheapest Ara beans you can find. It's amazing how marketing affects people. Many young Australians think that great coffee is a recent creation of the Hipster, and that you should only drink lightly roasted 100% Arabica. To add sugar or to mention the "R" word, would result in your being shunned and perhaps set upon by a mob and all your Robusta beans burned, offered up as a sacrifice to appease the snobby coffee gods ;)
Haha, yes that's unfortunately the knee jerk reaction of most people when they hear about robusta. I'm sorry to admit I was once one of those angry hipsters myself :)
@@coffeechronicler i have a new area of Vietnam i'm trying the robusta beans from soon, i'll let you know what it's like. I've found some young new suppliers in Vietnam who are really keen on improving and promoting different types of Robusta and Specialty Vietnamese Arabica
Ha ha same here in Denmark 😄 I have had talks about Robusta, with a lot of baristas and roasters here in Denmark. But almost none of them can give a qualified answer on why Robusta is such a bad thing per definition. I mean, if you make a beer with an overload og hoops, it will be undrinkeble bitterness - but with the right balance, the bitternes will make it a good beer.
Fascinating! Learned so much about Robusta coffee in this video. In South East Asia here, robusta coffee bitterness is countered with generous amounts of condensed milk and it results in a rich tasting coffee that is both satisfying hot or cold.
Yes, I agree I've had it in Asia and it does taste great, but condensed milk is really bad for your health. If you're going to drink it don't drink too much.
I love bitter flavours, so a decent robusta never bothered me; I drink it black, unsweetened. I like to mix it up and switch between the species to appreciate them all better. How you prepare your coffee obviously will make a difference, no matter how cheap your coffee is. I am a fan of pour-over then French press.
After traveling extensively throughout Italy, I am a Robusta convert, especially when used for espresso. Here in the U.S. most espresso tastes too sharp and light bodied, but when using Robusta in a blend or 100% robusta, then it has that body and sweetness that makes espresso delicious.
In Indonesia, the most popular coffee drinks maybe is the brown sugar latte. Many cofreeshops use a blend of robusta and arabica. Sometimes the result is good because the bitterness and less acidic of the robusta beans go well with the brown sugar and milk
I think that variety is the spice of life. Since there are not many places in the United States that sell Robusta coffee, I believe that a coffee shop that roasts and brews coffee could really set themselves apart from the competition by featuring this bean. I have searched for robusta in my area and have been unable to find any. I am going to suggest this to my favorite coffee company and hopefully they will try to get some and experiment with it. If they are the only place in our region to get Robusta then people will have to go there to experience it. I have found that coffee has really changed over the years. I spend a lot of time and money searching for that long lost taste, and for unique coffee experiences that will have a memorable experience.
Personally, haven’t been in the industry for 10 years now, it’s is really bias and idealistic, in where I’m based at that is. So many close minded coffee people shoving their concept of good coffee towards others. Personally, I couldn’t agree more with whatever you mentioned. If you love coffee or work in it I believe that every aspect of coffee needs to be included be without prejudice. I hope people will start opening up to looking into robusta more!
I currently have a single origin Robusta from India from my local specialty roaster and it is amazing. It has all the typical flavor profiles of a robusta but in a very mild and pleasant way. When I first opened the package and smelled it, I was pretty skeptical where this was going as it reminded me of the rubbery smell in a car salon but it really impressed me when I pulled a shot and tasted it. It makes great Cappuccini in the morning and is great to drink pure as an Espresso. It still isn’t my favorite kind of flavor but it completely changed my view on Robusta.
Thank you so much for the recognition and for highlighting the greatness of Robusta. As a Robusta producer in Uganda, I'm thrilled to see it finally receiving the attention it deserves. The negative perception of Robusta stems mainly from three factors: international cartels that devalue it to keep demand lower than Arabica and drive down prices, a lack of quality control, and insufficient marketing. However, we now have specialty Robusta that has been meticulously cultivated and truly tastes exceptional. I grow native, wild varieties of Robusta, indigenous to the Kibaale Forest National Park-the birthplace of Robusta coffee. These varieties, part of the 1,221 found in the forest, have a unique profile distinct from the new GMO coffee species bred for pest resistance and high yields, often at the cost of natural flavor. Experts who have tasted my Robusta can't easily distinguish it from Arabica, that's how good Robusta can get, if well taken care of.
Excellent information. I have spent a lot of time championing the merits of robusta in espresso blends. From now on, when people insist that robusta is inherently bad I'm going to just send them the link to this video.
You deserve many thanks for the video. Indeed, most of us know nothing about thia Canephora. And as a roaster, I always need a cup of robusta every morning for boosting my mood all day long.
I live in West Java and a local coffee roaster ages his Robusta 4 years and his Arabica 8 years. His Robusta is very good. He roasts them both to a medium roast. Also offers a mix which is good.
No acidity?… well, that does it for me. I find acidity in coffe utterly disgusting since l don’t alter my coffe with artificial flavouring like sugar or milk and l actually like the type of bitterness that coffee has.
If acidic profile disgusts you I’d guess you’re drinking under extracted sour coffee. Properly extracted acidic coffee is tea-like, it might not be your preference, but it shouldn’t disgust you.
I once went cold turkey and only got a bag of a local robusta in my area(Philippines) and at first I hated the bitterness of it but the more I drank it the more I enjoyed the dark chocolate notes. Now I get arabica that has the same notes chocolate and nutty notes. I don't get robusta anymore because on the week I drank just robusta I had the worst caffeine crashes.
Due to it's higher caffeine content, I've so far avoided brewing Robusta. But after watching this video, I plan to try it in a blend at least to see how my body reacts to it. Great video as usual 👌 and thanks.
I live in the Philippines. I have some Robusta coffee trees that I harvest from time to time, I really like this variety. I pick the berries when they're super ripe.
Interesting video. The BEST coffee ( latte ) I have tasted in all of Thailand is here in Chiang Mai province where I live. It's a blend as follows: 50% Robusta dark; 25% Arabica Medium & 25% Arabica dark. These roasts are all beans grown in Chiang Rai Province at altitudes above 600 metres. I am brand new to brewing my own espresso at home and I'm saving this combo to last. I've experimented with 10% Robusta dark, 25% Arabica dark & 65% Arabica medium. Also a great tasting coffee blend. The beans used were from Doi Chang area of Chiang Rai Province. I'm currently trying a blend of Robusta Medium Dark 25%, Arabica Dark 25% & Arabica medium 50%. Still tastes okay, but not my preferred blend.
The coffee industry is shrouded in mystery and misdirection. What I've found is everybody that holds themselves up as an expert all disagree with each other and throw the roasters and retailers in the mix along with the SCA and it really gets dicy.
A week ago I needed to get a hold of decaffeinated coffee beans and the only ones I could find without needing to import was cafe mauros decaffienato light roast with 75% robusta and 25% arabica. I was very pleasantly surprised with fresh berry notes and nuttiness. Definitely going to see what they have in their normal caffeinated range.
This was awesome. I've never seen a manual shot press like you have! I just found out about Vietnamese phin filters, I bought one and some 100% Robusta from Nguyen Coffee in NYC. I'm looking forward to trying it. Thanks for the in depth overview
I think mixing varietals like arabica with robusta are amazing. (Not that I especially like them compared too 100 procent arabica) You can make it without sacrificing taste and still having the sickness resistance from robusta. Best of both worlds. This is better for the farmer since they have more safety.
Yeah, that's something I didn't get into in this video. But many of the new varietals with Robusta genetics such as Catimor and Castillo have really helped farmers, so that's another way they are super important.
Great to see this is getting more attention. And good that you mention Canephora, let’s try to be more consistent with that. I enjoyed the details/structures with tips and thoughts. ☕️
I've been spending hundreds per months for years now going to Starbucks, Peet's, Better Buzz for an Americano with some milk in it. To save money and travel time, I recently start using instant coffee at home....I like instant coffee a lot. So, I bought a generic store brand organic coffee, and I bought Trader Joe's 100% Arabica coldbrew instant coffee. I actually prefer the generic stuff with the robusta in it. The flavor is stronger and better. Slight bitterness, but I like the flavor. I don't use hot coffee either, it just goes straight into cold milk. Honestly, I think most people's prejudice against instant coffee was due to pouring boiling water onto it and scorching / ruining their coffee, and blaming the coffee.
My favorite coffee is 50% Robusta, it has a very rich beany/nutty taste. Clean Arabica feels kinda flat and acidic, the only single origin Arabica I love is Costa Rica. The coffee I talked in the beginning is Borbone Blu beans.
In perspective of business, i think robusta is very good as "filler" blend with arabica, which is cheaper.. 😂 As my experience, i do very like fine robusta from Kintamani, Bali.
Yes it's cheaper, but robusta also has more body and intensity than arabica, if you make milk coffee with flavourings like aren sugar, caramel, etc, the body and intensity will be too thin if you use only arabica.
Hi there, I am a roaster based in Jakarta - Indonesia. As you and your audience already understand this country produce a lot of robusta. I've got a chance to roast and try some Fine and Grade 1 (with low defect) from many places in Indonesia, I have to say sure this species has potential. Some of our regular, especially office workers prefer this coffee as this really give them caffeine booster. I myself as the roaster also enjoy robusta in the morning.....and yes, though it isn't as complicated as arabica in the taste notes part, but it sure has interesting notes
Try the Trung Nguyên creative blend no1, 100% robusta from Vietnam. Also all their creative blends 1-5 have various amounts of robusta, the number 3 is absolutely gorgeous
You've certainly piqued my interest. I've been reading through James Hoffman's World Atlas of Coffee and it's almost assumed that Robusta just tastes bad. An excerpt: "Some people will make a rather specious argument that a really well-produced Robusta coffee can taste better than a poor Arabica coffee and this may be true, but it does nothing to convince us that Robusta actually tastes good." He also notes that Robusta is actually a parent of the Arabica, which is interesting. I'd be down to try specialty Robusta if it were more available. Do you know of any larger specialty roaster that provides Robusta in their product line-up? - I just saw your blog post, the roaster is actually local to me. I'll give it a try!
@@pandaownage I used to be of the same opinion but changing the ratio really opened up my perspective. I can understand the sentiment though -- there are certain coffee trends that work for us geeks with our bigger frame of reference that I wouldn't necessarily recommend more broadly; i.e. ultra light roasts :) As far as specialty roasters go, it's very rare to see fine Robusta. I usually get the beans from green bean suppliers and micro roasters in Asia, where the attitude is less dogmatic.
Just to clarify 🤔, there's no Robusta Specialty... The CQI protocol is calling the high quality graded it's called '' Fine Robusta '' ;i can see why they choose obviously to name it differently, to avoid misunderstanding and misleading people 🙄... I've tried 5 several Robusta Fine, not really good, I prefer drink molecular coffee from Atomo coffee than Robusta for the rest of my life 😑
If any robusta farmers are reading this, tell me maybe what it would be like to try growing robusta in Yemen. I have been asked by a friend to find seeds. This would be the first time that robusta coffee would ever be grown in Yemen! So I'm also looking for a robusta coffee nursery
Okay so I'm at 4:31 and I am positive that Yemen growing robusta coffee is good for Yemen and good for robusta coffee. They aren't going to pick your Skittles
Might be because I grew up drinking robusta, because we eat bitter gourd or maybe because I tend to prefer the taste of grains but I like robusta and never thought of it as bitter. -On the other hand, the common aloe vera drinks (commercial or fresh) would be what I'd say tastes bitter no matter what. No amount of sugar saves it and the taste of lemon that's often added (supposedly to remove the bitterness) just makes it tastes weird on top of the bitterness.- Arabica still tastes kinda sour to me, like it's trying to be fruity but it's not, but maybe that's why I like Arabica more as sweet iced drinks?
I am doing my own home roasting for a year now, a mini gas drum roaster. I've found that Robusta is much easier to roast, BUT, it is quite harder to properly do medium roast of it, so most industrial scale roaster just roast them to charcoal, which resulted in bad reputation of them being too bitter. BUT (another but, lol) A LOT of people love the burnt smell of dark roast robusta, they masked up acidity and weird smells well. I don't know how to explain it, my partner love dark roast robusta, while I don't quite like it and preferred medium, now I always make sure to have both kinds in stock. We should embrace people's preference, there's no "best" or "good" coffee, we should talk more on "what's your favorite" instead.
I learned to drink coffee from Buon Ma Thuot in Vietnam, prepared in the specific Vietnamese way. Wonderful coffee, with a very special chocolatey taste.
I think one of the problem is somehow coffee people judge very harshly against adding things into coffee. In reality, where robusta is commonly consumed (especially Southeast Asia), it's often with something sweet like sugar or condensed milk. Claiming that black is the only way to drink coffee is just pure snobbery. One of my favourite coffee is 100% robusta mud coffee, with half a teaspoon of sugar (or sometimes, palm sugar).
What I find is that grinding coarser and lesser brew time significantly reduces that harshness in robusta in filter coffee. That being said, that means you need higher dose for it to reduce the caffeine.
I am currently drinking an Indian Cherry Robusta. I roasted them myself for espresso in a Genecafe CR101, and they have turned out beautifully. I am left with a creamy coating on my palate, there is an earthy taste but it is not a nasty taste, but you need to get use to it, and you can in two to three cups. I love it as a single origin espresso, and I prefer it to some South American Arabica coffees.
While I prefer a good blend (with at least 30% Robusta) as an everyday espresso, I often buy a pure Robusta, and I think it's also a great coffee. This particular one is from Bukobah in Tanzania. It's from a local roastery, and it's very nicely roasted and overall the quality of the beans is very good. It's of course very strong, but also very tasteful. Very chocolatey.
Modern Robusta is far different from the old days. Robusta bean has been processed like they process Arabica bean. I'm in Indonesia, we harvest the red fruit of Robusta, processed it with natural way and hand picked, so Robusta is not taste bitter only, but it has sweetness like Arabica bean too. If you roasting with light or light to medium profile, it is taste light acidity too, 80% taste like arabica coffee. You must try it
Interesting! I have a roaster near me that focuses on high quality Robusta beans and some blends, roasted for Espresso. I‘ll probably give them a try, but since I usually brew pour overs and AeroPress (sometimes Moka Pot), is it even worth it? And if so, is there anything important to keep in mind other than maybe a 1:10 or 1:12 ratio? I‘d probably go for a very simple recipe I use for light roasted specialty coffee, but with lower temperature water and that stronger ratio.
Aeropress is a good option. You could even make a faux espresso shot with it to try it at stronger concentrations. Lower temp is a good idea for dark roasts. I also find that the cup develops and get even better as it cools down to body temperature. Instead of the Moka I'd probably go for some more transparent methods, such as French press, pour over, cupping, AP and so on..
Im new into brewing espresso at home. Just bought myself a dedica and a specialita and have tried pure arabica and now I went with a blend. I really dont prefer the acidity in arabica, and when I made an espresso of the blend, it was alot more balanced. On the other hand, when I did a lungo like 1:5 the blend became very bitter, while the 100% arabica beans were much better. Have you noticed this ?
Arabica is easier being more diluted, Robusta more concentrated. But you can have great espresso with both. I can't say I've ever had great pour over with Robusta though. Arabica lends itself readily to Turkish as well.
Some very interesting points about how it is worth looking at the contributions of growing conditions, processing and roasting and how these could potentially be optimised. Also, I thought the sustainability and global warming angle was interesting, and the fact that if you really like coffee, then it's worth exploring - great point. Thank you.
Caffeine content varies considerably, for both robusta and arabica. Robusta often ranges up to 4%, and on average has over twice the caffeine content of arabica, and often over three times the caffeine content.
I tried specialty robusta during James Hoffman’s world coffee tasting event. It was truly awful. Made me want to spit. But based on this video I’ll keep an open mind.
I did notice the comments about the Robusta :) Seems like people either loved it or hated it. But to be frank, he didn't put it in the most flattering order right next to a natural Ethiopian. Robusta should be placed first if cupped at the same table as Arabica due to having lower sugar content.
I want to know which coffee can be made from Arabica beans...??? And which is rubasta beans coffee..?? Basically we used rubasta beans for cappuccino, latte etc milk base coffee, Then how to use arabica bean's??
Can you share a brew recipe for pour-over using fine robusta beans? I just prepared one and loved its floral notes but sadly, i can’t get over the burnt rubber aftertaste. I used a 1:17 ratio, course grind, 2 pours with a 2 minute bloom using a V60, 95 Celsius water and light fine robusta beans. Wouldn’t want my beans to go to waste. TIA.
@@RogerLiem you can start with fine robusta from a sumatra region called lampung, but the fruity robusta one i've tried before is from a farmer i met in a coffee festival his name is Mr.komala he own an estate that grown only robusta coffee in cibeureum, west java.
@@zakifariz i see, the one from cibereum is it this one? jabar.tribunnews.com/2019/04/22/mengenal-desa-wisata-kopi-cibeureum-di-kuningan-jawa-barat-kebunnya-luas-rasa-kopinya-unik
Interesting redeemer video for Robusta. Actually i prefer Robusta over Arabica coffee. The problem Robusta has is that since it is considered second rank coffee, it often also receives second rank treatment in the processing and packaging line, contributing to its less attractive tastes and smells.
100 - lived in China and disovered Robusta growers in Asia - and to use with my Flair Pro2 - many were excellent either by theemselves or in combination (Blends) with Arabicca - especially for my teaching all afternoon days! 😋
Interesting how I stumbled upon your video today about Robusta, after participating in the world largest coffee tasting by James Hoffman two days ago. One of the sample beans given was Uganda Kaweri Turaco. That was my first time I encountered Robusta whole beans other than ground instant coffee premix with robusta. Like most participants, from the moment I opened the bag, the smell is just not pleasant 😂 The taste is also not of what one would easily like. But James also mentioned how people find comfort in Robusta due to its low acidity and muskier taste especially when added with creamer or sugar. That being said, I agree we should give Robusta a chance especially of those good and traceable Robusta grown like its cousin Arabica Cheers from Malaysia 😜
Hehe, that's funny I also say it was on the table at the cupping and noticed the reactions from the chat section. People either love it or hate it :) But I think the cupping was actually set up in an unfair way to the robusta. If you want to get the best out of it, you need to brew it on its own terms. So a straight espresso or 1:13 ratio would be a lot better. I think you should probably be able to find Fine Robusta in Maysia :) Good luck!
@@coffeechronicler Yeah, after the cupping session, I went online looking for fine Robusta and there's quite a number of local roasters here carrying Robusta from all around Southeast Asia. I'm intrigued to try the one roasted with charcoal 😂 And the remaining sample- I'll probably go with 1:13 since the leftover beans is not enough for espresso 😌
I'm drinking a Arabica/Robusta blend right now and I really like it. But then I usually make really strong coffee and mainly enjoy the bitter tones. I have some 100% Vietnamese Robusta that I bought for Vietnamese coffee but now I'm gonna have to try it without condensed milk too.
Thanks for this vid, very enlightening. I freaking hate acidity, and love dark roasts. I have no problem with some bitterness, it's like some beers, right? Taste is subjective
I came here because I had a Moka Pot shot of 100% Robusta and it was bitter and rather bad. I am planning to try it with an Aeropress tomorrow, at a coarser grind and slightly lower water temperature. Will try your 1:14 ratio and report back.
Many coffees such as Maromas Orphea sold and pushed by wholelattelove.com has lots of Robusta. In fact, WLL and Maromas won't say or doesn't know how much Robusta is in their coffees.
interesting video! I would be interested to try roasting and brewing some robusta beans. I have not seen robusta beans for sale to home-coffee roasting people.
I don't really care about the taste. I am in it for the effects. Not only caffeine content, but theobromine, theophylline, and dozens of other active compounds also vary. Robusta contains much more chlorogenic acid and antioxidants, and is probably the healthier choice.
What was your ratio for the espresso shot you pulled? I had a small bag of robusta delivered today and I’m trying to figure out the best way to enjoy it as espresso
Thanks. They should all have quite high caffeine :) I have mostly gotten small samples from farmers and exporters, so I'm a little bit unsure there are any mainstream roasters that sell topnotch quality at the moment. Hopefully we'll have some options soon.
I love robusta. It doesn't have that awful sweet and acidic quality of arabica. I had pretty much stopped drinking coffee because it was giving me a sour stomach and headache....and then I found robusta.
Robusta + condensed milk is the best Arabica best enjoyed with no additional things. Both with any kind of brewing method. Each have their unique taste. But personally i like robusta more
Hey TCC, where did you get the coffee from? Does anyone know where to get in Europe? I know Len's sells Dalat (which is supposedly good), so does Nguyen Coffee Supply, but none seem to ship to Europe.
I have gotten most of my special beans like Robusta and Liberica from small roasters and farmers from South East Asia. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be many roasters in Europe dealing with these beans. I'll try to investigate more and let you know.
@@coffeechronicler I am from coffee cooperative from Vietnam, we are preparing different process method for Robusta to upgrade the quality. Thanks for your information clip. We would like to share you samples for your tasting.
The Case for Robusta The most underrated coffee bean in the industry; I’ve been drinking it for six months now. Most experts, which I’m not, will avoid selling these types of beans. Robusta is considered inferior to its Arabica sibling for a few reasons. One reason is It’s less refined in taste, which could be described as having a rubbery or gummy taste. In terms of appearance, it’s said that the shapes and sizes are uneven and broken. You’ll never see a robusta in a cupping competition. I and a few other coffee lovers are pushing back against these claims for a few reasons of our own. Facts matter! Robusta has more caffeine than Arabica, so hurray for me. I need my morning kick. Robusta is richer in disease-fighting antioxidants than Arabica in the form of quinines, especially if the beans are LIGHT roasted! Taste: I humbly disagree with the critics. A freshly light roasted robusta will yield beautiful aromatics and flavor. Expect milk chocolate, Shiraz, stone fruit, long tail finishes of red wine and flower. I have also enjoyed a medium roast version as well-exotic indeed. I’m drinking a Côte d'Ivoire, Ivory Coast Robusta and am very pleased.
Hi, thanks for the video and the info. I’m about to make my own video about robusta, but figured I needed to try it first. I just placed an order with Nguyen coffee supplier for their Vietnamese robusta, because it’s single origin. I’m curious for what it will taste like.
It’s been a while since I had a robusta/arabica blended espresso, but today was the day. Got it from Cafe Lusso, I really enjoyed it, very Italian in style. I will try find a pure higher altitude specialty robusta to try as espresso. Any suggestions are welcomed. Great information, thank you.
here in Australia , 100% robusta ground coffee is nearly impossible to find . in ALL the major supermarkets only 100% Arabica ground coffee is available .
Robusta is a good coffee, mixing with Arabica or not. The problem is very difficult to find this lovely coffee beans. Not enough for everybody. The biggest coffee companies like Lavazza buy it and mixing with the Arabica and make their own unique coffee.
I'm highly intrigued by this. Especially sweetness and plant hardiness. Do you know anyone in the U.S. doing a good roasting it? Somewhere I could buy it online?
@@SweetChinMuzik1 Thanks! I will definitely check them out. I bought some Robusta- what turned out to be bad Robusta. It was full blown burnt rubber! I could not finish the second cup and threw the rest out. But recently I was fortunate enough to get some high quality Robusta- only a 50 gram sample. But enough for 3 cuppings. On day 2 I got the 3 cup dialed in and really enjoyed it. Then things got weird. Later that day I made a cup of my normal Arabica from my local roaster- and it just seemed like less! Less substantial. Less mouthfeel. Less taste. Weak, in fact. I found myself wanting the Robusta! Now that's crazy stuff. So I'll definitely check out Len's!
@@SweetChinMuzik1 received my 3 8 oz bags of Len's today. I've started with Saigon Cafe Blend and its very good. Roasted a bit darker than I prefer but still very enjoyable. It's got that great Robusta mouthfeel - substantial and smooth! I'll certainly finish the bag. I also have Full Throttle and Jerome's blend. Looking forward to tasting those! Thanks for the recommendation. RP
Robusta tastes so much better to me, and I drink it Armenian style, black with no sugar. To me it tastes earthy and nutty, more full flavored and smoother than Arabica. And I agree, less acidity for sure.
Greeting from Thai Fans, I Would give a robusta a shot, because my uncle hates the acidity in coffee even with arabica espresso blend (Medium - Dark Roast) 😂.
@@coffeechronicler I think I'll have to follow your guide in the robusta journey right now!. I'll try all of the mentioned of yours. Thank you very much.
As part owner of a Robusta farm we have noticed that most Robusta farms have way less maintenance and QC in the entirety of the process and just slap an "Artesanal" (craft) label on it and call it a day. Heavy QC leads to an enormous leap in flavor profile that can go toe to toe with plenty of Specialty Arabica Coffees. Unfortunately we are few.
I didn't know this. I don't like robusta, but maybe that's because I've never had a good one!
do u have website where i can buy small amounts for taste like 200gramms or more thanks
I’ve had 100% Ugandan Robusta as an espresso and it’s the best I’ve had! Like he says when treated as a specialty coffee the flavour notes are incredible.
Thanks for the information, very accurate.
I roast following a traditional Italian recipe, 70/30 robusta . Though I don't enjoy 100 Robusta, i do love Ara/Robusta mix.
I am importing , roasting and selling traditional Italian Style, with Ara Robusta blend, single origin Vietnam, (as I lived there for many years),
Customers love it, particularly milk drinkers , which is 80% of people here.
But most people have heard/read that Robusta is cheap, bitter and not for good quality coffee.
I also roast a 30/70 Robusta for amazing iced coffee, which tastes soo much better than 100 Ara.
With an Iced coffee, we can actually do a medium roast, and keep all the flavours and depth.
Whereas if you roast 100 Ara for iced coffee, you must make it very dark to reduce the acidity, so you then eliminate any origin bean flavours, and may as well use the cheapest Ara beans you can find.
It's amazing how marketing affects people. Many young Australians think that great coffee is a recent creation of the Hipster, and that you should only drink lightly roasted 100% Arabica.
To add sugar or to mention the "R" word, would result in your being shunned and perhaps set upon by a mob and all your Robusta beans burned, offered up as a sacrifice to appease the snobby coffee gods ;)
Haha, yes that's unfortunately the knee jerk reaction of most people when they hear about robusta. I'm sorry to admit I was once one of those angry hipsters myself :)
@@coffeechronicler i have a new area of Vietnam i'm trying the robusta beans from soon, i'll let you know what it's like. I've found some young new suppliers in Vietnam who are really keen on improving and promoting different types of Robusta and Specialty Vietnamese Arabica
@@lienKelly im interested in sourcing premium quality green robusta from Vietnam. Could you point me in the right direction?
Ha ha same here in Denmark 😄 I have had talks about Robusta, with a lot of baristas and roasters here in Denmark. But almost none of them can give a qualified answer on why Robusta is such a bad thing per definition. I mean, if you make a beer with an overload og hoops, it will be undrinkeble bitterness - but with the right balance, the bitternes will make it a good beer.
Fascinating! Learned so much about Robusta coffee in this video. In South East Asia here, robusta coffee bitterness is countered with generous amounts of condensed milk and it results in a rich tasting coffee that is both satisfying hot or cold.
Yes, I agree I've had it in Asia and it does taste great, but condensed milk is really bad for your health. If you're going to drink it don't drink too much.
I love bitter flavours, so a decent robusta never bothered me; I drink it black, unsweetened. I like to mix it up and switch between the species to appreciate them all better. How you prepare your coffee obviously will make a difference, no matter how cheap your coffee is. I am a fan of pour-over then French press.
After traveling extensively throughout Italy, I am a Robusta convert, especially when used for espresso. Here in the U.S. most espresso tastes too sharp and light bodied, but when using Robusta in a blend or 100% robusta, then it has that body and sweetness that makes espresso delicious.
In Indonesia, the most popular coffee drinks maybe is the brown sugar latte. Many cofreeshops use a blend of robusta and arabica. Sometimes the result is good because the bitterness and less acidic of the robusta beans go well with the brown sugar and milk
I think that variety is the spice of life. Since there are not many places in the United States that sell Robusta coffee, I believe that a coffee shop that roasts and brews coffee could really set themselves apart from the competition by featuring this bean. I have searched for robusta in my area and have been unable to find any. I am going to suggest this to my favorite coffee company and hopefully they will try to get some and experiment with it. If they are the only place in our region to get Robusta then people will have to go there to experience it. I have found that coffee has really changed over the years. I spend a lot of time and money searching for that long lost taste, and for unique coffee experiences that will have a memorable experience.
Personally, haven’t been in the industry for 10 years now, it’s is really bias and idealistic, in where I’m based at that is. So many close minded coffee people shoving their concept of good coffee towards others. Personally, I couldn’t agree more with whatever you mentioned. If you love coffee or work in it I believe that every aspect of coffee needs to be included be without prejudice. I hope people will start opening up to looking into robusta more!
I currently have a single origin Robusta from India from my local specialty roaster and it is amazing. It has all the typical flavor profiles of a robusta but in a very mild and pleasant way. When I first opened the package and smelled it, I was pretty skeptical where this was going as it reminded me of the rubbery smell in a car salon but it really impressed me when I pulled a shot and tasted it. It makes great Cappuccini in the morning and is great to drink pure as an Espresso. It still isn’t my favorite kind of flavor but it completely changed my view on Robusta.
Which roaster did you order from? Can you please share link?
Which roaster did u order from? Can you please share the link?
Thank you so much for the recognition and for highlighting the greatness of Robusta. As a Robusta producer in Uganda, I'm thrilled to see it finally receiving the attention it deserves. The negative perception of Robusta stems mainly from three factors: international cartels that devalue it to keep demand lower than Arabica and drive down prices, a lack of quality control, and insufficient marketing.
However, we now have specialty Robusta that has been meticulously cultivated and truly tastes exceptional. I grow native, wild varieties of Robusta, indigenous to the Kibaale Forest National Park-the birthplace of Robusta coffee. These varieties, part of the 1,221 found in the forest, have a unique profile distinct from the new GMO coffee species bred for pest resistance and high yields, often at the cost of natural flavor. Experts who have tasted my Robusta can't easily distinguish it from Arabica, that's how good Robusta can get, if well taken care of.
Excellent information. I have spent a lot of time championing the merits of robusta in espresso blends. From now on, when people insist that robusta is inherently bad I'm going to just send them the link to this video.
You deserve more subscribers and views. Great work.
Thanks Marco, appreciate it!
You deserve many thanks for the video. Indeed, most of us know nothing about thia Canephora.
And as a roaster, I always need a cup of robusta every morning for boosting my mood all day long.
I live in West Java and a local coffee roaster ages his Robusta 4 years and his Arabica 8 years. His Robusta is very good. He roasts them both to a medium roast. Also offers a mix which is good.
Aroma?
yg manaaa
@@yusufanbarfirdausi621 Yes the mix is my go to coffee. Do enjoy some single area (such as Toraja) too. Do you also enjoy Aroma?
No acidity?… well, that does it for me. I find acidity in coffe utterly disgusting since l don’t alter my coffe with artificial flavouring like sugar or milk and l actually like the type of bitterness that coffee has.
If acidic profile disgusts you I’d guess you’re drinking under extracted sour coffee. Properly extracted acidic coffee is tea-like, it might not be your preference, but it shouldn’t disgust you.
I once went cold turkey and only got a bag of a local robusta in my area(Philippines) and at first I hated the bitterness of it but the more I drank it the more I enjoyed the dark chocolate notes. Now I get arabica that has the same notes chocolate and nutty notes. I don't get robusta anymore because on the week I drank just robusta I had the worst caffeine crashes.
Due to it's higher caffeine content, I've so far avoided brewing Robusta. But after watching this video, I plan to try it in a blend at least to see how my body reacts to it. Great video as usual 👌 and thanks.
I live in the Philippines. I have some Robusta coffee trees that I harvest from time to time, I really like this variety.
I pick the berries when they're super ripe.
Interesting video. The BEST coffee ( latte ) I have tasted in all of Thailand is here in Chiang Mai province where I live. It's a blend as follows: 50% Robusta dark; 25% Arabica Medium & 25% Arabica dark. These roasts are all beans grown in Chiang Rai Province at altitudes above 600 metres. I am brand new to brewing my own espresso at home and I'm saving this combo to last. I've experimented with 10% Robusta dark, 25% Arabica dark & 65% Arabica medium. Also a great tasting coffee blend. The beans used were from Doi Chang area of Chiang Rai Province. I'm currently trying a blend of Robusta Medium Dark 25%, Arabica Dark 25% & Arabica medium 50%. Still tastes okay, but not my preferred blend.
The coffee industry is shrouded in mystery and misdirection. What I've found is everybody that holds themselves up as an expert all disagree with each other and throw the roasters and retailers in the mix along with the SCA and it really gets dicy.
A week ago I needed to get a hold of decaffeinated coffee beans and the only ones I could find without needing to import was cafe mauros decaffienato light roast with 75% robusta and 25% arabica. I was very pleasantly surprised with fresh berry notes and nuttiness. Definitely going to see what they have in their normal caffeinated range.
That sounds very interesting! Remember that normal Robusta has loads of caffeine so you might get am energetic surprise :)
@@coffeechronicler I'll reserve it for evening shifts :D
I mixed robusta and arabica in moka pot and it taste amazing ❤️
I just bought robusta 100 and I loved this. Will buy again.
Sounds like the perfect coffee for my taste! Thanks for this great video!!!!
This was awesome. I've never seen a manual shot press like you have! I just found out about Vietnamese phin filters, I bought one and some 100% Robusta from Nguyen Coffee in NYC. I'm looking forward to trying it. Thanks for the in depth overview
Vietnamese way of making coffee really brings out the robusta and tastes great with condensed milk
I think mixing varietals like arabica with robusta are amazing. (Not that I especially like them compared too 100 procent arabica) You can make it without sacrificing taste and still having the sickness resistance from robusta. Best of both worlds. This is better for the farmer since they have more safety.
Yeah, that's something I didn't get into in this video. But many of the new varietals with Robusta genetics such as Catimor and Castillo have really helped farmers, so that's another way they are super important.
Yeah, I think after this I would give Robusta a shot (pun not intended but I still chuckled...) 😂
Haha, a shot is definitely the way forward!
100% robusta in an espresso shot. Good to go all morning. To hell with the critics!
Exactly 💪
Great to see this is getting more attention. And good that you mention Canephora, let’s try to be more consistent with that.
I enjoyed the details/structures with tips and thoughts.
☕️
I've been spending hundreds per months for years now going to Starbucks, Peet's, Better Buzz for an Americano with some milk in it. To save money and travel time, I recently start using instant coffee at home....I like instant coffee a lot. So, I bought a generic store brand organic coffee, and I bought Trader Joe's 100% Arabica coldbrew instant coffee. I actually prefer the generic stuff with the robusta in it. The flavor is stronger and better. Slight bitterness, but I like the flavor. I don't use hot coffee either, it just goes straight into cold milk.
Honestly, I think most people's prejudice against instant coffee was due to pouring boiling water onto it and scorching / ruining their coffee, and blaming the coffee.
I read that Robusta is often used to blend with other species to boost the crema output.
My favorite coffee is 50% Robusta, it has a very rich beany/nutty taste. Clean Arabica feels kinda flat and acidic, the only single origin Arabica I love is Costa Rica. The coffee I talked in the beginning is Borbone Blu beans.
we in Singapore have been drinking Robusta for many many generations , we love it
In perspective of business, i think robusta is very good as "filler" blend with arabica, which is cheaper.. 😂
As my experience, i do very like fine robusta from Kintamani, Bali.
Yes it's cheaper, but robusta also has more body and intensity than arabica, if you make milk coffee with flavourings like aren sugar, caramel, etc, the body and intensity will be too thin if you use only arabica.
@@dandyrayhan3970 this is why i opted to use dark robusta rather than using dark arabica. Eliminates the logic for going dark on arabica.
Hi there,
I am a roaster based in Jakarta - Indonesia. As you and your audience already understand this country produce a lot of robusta. I've got a chance to roast and try some Fine and Grade 1 (with low defect) from many places in Indonesia, I have to say sure this species has potential.
Some of our regular, especially office workers prefer this coffee as this really give them caffeine booster. I myself as the roaster also enjoy robusta in the morning.....and yes, though it isn't as complicated as arabica in the taste notes part, but it sure has interesting notes
Try the Trung Nguyên creative blend no1, 100% robusta from Vietnam. Also all their creative blends 1-5 have various amounts of robusta, the number 3 is absolutely gorgeous
It’s all come to preference i think. I enjoyed robusta so much and found arabica too sour for me
Do you want to try specialty Canephora? 🤔
You've certainly piqued my interest. I've been reading through James Hoffman's World Atlas of Coffee and it's almost assumed that Robusta just tastes bad. An excerpt: "Some people will make a rather specious argument that a really well-produced Robusta coffee can taste better than a poor Arabica coffee and this may be true, but it does nothing to convince us that Robusta actually tastes good." He also notes that Robusta is actually a parent of the Arabica, which is interesting.
I'd be down to try specialty Robusta if it were more available. Do you know of any larger specialty roaster that provides Robusta in their product line-up? - I just saw your blog post, the roaster is actually local to me. I'll give it a try!
@@pandaownage I used to be of the same opinion but changing the ratio really opened up my perspective.
I can understand the sentiment though -- there are certain coffee trends that work for us geeks with our bigger frame of reference that I wouldn't necessarily recommend more broadly; i.e. ultra light roasts :)
As far as specialty roasters go, it's very rare to see fine Robusta. I usually get the beans from green bean suppliers and micro roasters in Asia, where the attitude is less dogmatic.
Just to clarify 🤔, there's no Robusta Specialty... The CQI protocol is calling the high quality graded it's called '' Fine Robusta '' ;i can see why they choose obviously to name it differently, to avoid misunderstanding and misleading people 🙄... I've tried 5 several Robusta Fine, not really good, I prefer drink molecular coffee from Atomo coffee than Robusta for the rest of my life 😑
If any robusta farmers are reading this, tell me maybe what it would be like to try growing robusta in Yemen. I have been asked by a friend to find seeds. This would be the first time that robusta coffee would ever be grown in Yemen! So I'm also looking for a robusta coffee nursery
Okay so I'm at 4:31 and I am positive that Yemen growing robusta coffee is good for Yemen and good for robusta coffee. They aren't going to pick your Skittles
Might be because I grew up drinking robusta, because we eat bitter gourd or maybe because I tend to prefer the taste of grains but I like robusta and never thought of it as bitter.
-On the other hand, the common aloe vera drinks (commercial or fresh) would be what I'd say tastes bitter no matter what. No amount of sugar saves it and the taste of lemon that's often added (supposedly to remove the bitterness) just makes it tastes weird on top of the bitterness.-
Arabica still tastes kinda sour to me, like it's trying to be fruity but it's not, but maybe that's why I like Arabica more as sweet iced drinks?
Coffee❤❤
I am doing my own home roasting for a year now, a mini gas drum roaster.
I've found that Robusta is much easier to roast, BUT, it is quite harder to properly do medium roast of it, so most industrial scale roaster just roast them to charcoal, which resulted in bad reputation of them being too bitter. BUT (another but, lol) A LOT of people love the burnt smell of dark roast robusta, they masked up acidity and weird smells well.
I don't know how to explain it, my partner love dark roast robusta, while I don't quite like it and preferred medium, now I always make sure to have both kinds in stock.
We should embrace people's preference, there's no "best" or "good" coffee, we should talk more on "what's your favorite" instead.
I love robusta, and curious to explore more about this beans. I'm from Indonesia. Have you try Indonesian coffee especially Sumatra coffee?
I learned to drink coffee from Buon Ma Thuot in Vietnam, prepared in the specific Vietnamese way. Wonderful coffee, with a very special chocolatey taste.
I think one of the problem is somehow coffee people judge very harshly against adding things into coffee. In reality, where robusta is commonly consumed (especially Southeast Asia), it's often with something sweet like sugar or condensed milk. Claiming that black is the only way to drink coffee is just pure snobbery. One of my favourite coffee is 100% robusta mud coffee, with half a teaspoon of sugar (or sometimes, palm sugar).
I am not really a coffee drinker. it does not really bother me what kind of coffee I drink. But you video is very educational
What I find is that grinding coarser and lesser brew time significantly reduces that harshness in robusta in filter coffee.
That being said, that means you need higher dose for it to reduce the caffeine.
I love robusta and it is really hard getting hold of good robusta in the west
i always wondered why it was called robusta...didn't realize it was the variety...great video!
I am currently drinking an Indian Cherry Robusta. I roasted them myself for espresso in a Genecafe CR101, and they have turned out beautifully. I am left with a creamy coating on my palate, there is an earthy taste but it is not a nasty taste, but you need to get use to it, and you can in two to three cups. I love it as a single origin espresso, and I prefer it to some South American Arabica coffees.
While I prefer a good blend (with at least 30% Robusta) as an everyday espresso, I often buy a pure Robusta, and I think it's also a great coffee.
This particular one is from Bukobah in Tanzania. It's from a local roastery, and it's very nicely roasted and overall the quality of the beans is very good.
It's of course very strong, but also very tasteful. Very chocolatey.
Sounds delicious 👌
@@coffeechronicler In case you are from the U.S. here is a link to a shop that sells it: www.caffelab.com/mono-origin/82-tanzania-robusta-ab.html.
Modern Robusta is far different from the old days. Robusta bean has been processed like they process Arabica bean. I'm in Indonesia, we harvest the red fruit of Robusta, processed it with natural way and hand picked, so Robusta is not taste bitter only, but it has sweetness like Arabica bean too. If you roasting with light or light to medium profile, it is taste light acidity too, 80% taste like arabica coffee. You must try it
I will.
Interesting! I have a roaster near me that focuses on high quality Robusta beans and some blends, roasted for Espresso. I‘ll probably give them a try, but since I usually brew pour overs and AeroPress (sometimes Moka Pot), is it even worth it? And if so, is there anything important to keep in mind other than maybe a 1:10 or 1:12 ratio? I‘d probably go for a very simple recipe I use for light roasted specialty coffee, but with lower temperature water and that stronger ratio.
Aeropress is a good option. You could even make a faux espresso shot with it to try it at stronger concentrations. Lower temp is a good idea for dark roasts.
I also find that the cup develops and get even better as it cools down to body temperature.
Instead of the Moka I'd probably go for some more transparent methods, such as French press, pour over, cupping, AP and so on..
The Coffee Chronicler great, thanks! :)
Im new into brewing espresso at home. Just bought myself a dedica and a specialita and have tried pure arabica and now I went with a blend. I really dont prefer the acidity in arabica, and when I made an espresso of the blend, it was alot more balanced. On the other hand, when I did a lungo like 1:5 the blend became very bitter, while the 100% arabica beans were much better. Have you noticed this ?
Arabica is easier being more diluted, Robusta more concentrated. But you can have great espresso with both. I can't say I've ever had great pour over with Robusta though. Arabica lends itself readily to Turkish as well.
Some very interesting points about how it is worth looking at the contributions of growing conditions, processing and roasting and how these could potentially be optimised. Also, I thought the sustainability and global warming angle was interesting, and the fact that if you really like coffee, then it's worth exploring - great point. Thank you.
Caffeine content varies considerably, for both robusta and arabica. Robusta often ranges up to 4%, and on average has over twice the caffeine content of arabica, and often over three times the caffeine content.
Is this the correct way of tasting/drinking coffee?
I tried specialty robusta during James Hoffman’s world coffee tasting event. It was truly awful. Made me want to spit. But based on this video I’ll keep an open mind.
I did notice the comments about the Robusta :) Seems like people either loved it or hated it. But to be frank, he didn't put it in the most flattering order right next to a natural Ethiopian. Robusta should be placed first if cupped at the same table as Arabica due to having lower sugar content.
I want to know which coffee can be made from Arabica beans...???
And which is rubasta beans coffee..??
Basically we used rubasta beans for cappuccino, latte etc milk base coffee,
Then how to use arabica bean's??
I grew up drinking robusta made in cezve. To me that's what real coffee tastes like.
Can you share a brew recipe for pour-over using fine robusta beans? I just prepared one and loved its floral notes but sadly, i can’t get over the burnt rubber aftertaste. I used a 1:17 ratio, course grind, 2 pours with a 2 minute bloom using a V60, 95 Celsius water and light fine robusta beans. Wouldn’t want my beans to go to waste. TIA.
I like a 1:13 ratio with faster brew time and lower extraction. Or a "Nomaricano" can also be delicious.
You guys should try a lot of Indonesian Fine Robusta beans it's sweet, clean, complex, and some beans have a fruity notes its shocking.
Would love to try it!
got any recommendations?
@@RogerLiem you can start with fine robusta from a sumatra region called lampung, but the fruity robusta one i've tried before is from a farmer i met in a coffee festival his name is Mr.komala he own an estate that grown only robusta coffee in cibeureum, west java.
@@zakifariz i see, the one from cibereum is it this one?
jabar.tribunnews.com/2019/04/22/mengenal-desa-wisata-kopi-cibeureum-di-kuningan-jawa-barat-kebunnya-luas-rasa-kopinya-unik
@@RogerLiem yup that one
Interesting redeemer video for Robusta. Actually i prefer Robusta over Arabica coffee. The problem Robusta has is that since it is considered second rank coffee, it often also receives second rank treatment in the processing and packaging line, contributing to its less attractive tastes and smells.
100 - lived in China and disovered Robusta growers in Asia - and to use with my Flair Pro2 - many were excellent either by theemselves or in combination (Blends) with Arabicca - especially for my teaching all afternoon days! 😋
Interesting how I stumbled upon your video today about Robusta, after participating in the world largest coffee tasting by James Hoffman two days ago.
One of the sample beans given was Uganda Kaweri Turaco. That was my first time I encountered Robusta whole beans other than ground instant coffee premix with robusta. Like most participants, from the moment I opened the bag, the smell is just not pleasant 😂 The taste is also not of what one would easily like. But James also mentioned how people find comfort in Robusta due to its low acidity and muskier taste especially when added with creamer or sugar.
That being said, I agree we should give Robusta a chance especially of those good and traceable Robusta grown like its cousin Arabica
Cheers from Malaysia 😜
Hehe, that's funny I also say it was on the table at the cupping and noticed the reactions from the chat section. People either love it or hate it :)
But I think the cupping was actually set up in an unfair way to the robusta. If you want to get the best out of it, you need to brew it on its own terms.
So a straight espresso or 1:13 ratio would be a lot better. I think you should probably be able to find Fine Robusta in Maysia :) Good luck!
@@coffeechronicler Yeah, after the cupping session, I went online looking for fine Robusta and there's quite a number of local roasters here carrying Robusta from all around Southeast Asia. I'm intrigued to try the one roasted with charcoal 😂 And the remaining sample- I'll probably go with 1:13 since the leftover beans is not enough for espresso 😌
I'm drinking a Arabica/Robusta blend right now and I really like it. But then I usually make really strong coffee and mainly enjoy the bitter tones. I have some 100% Vietnamese Robusta that I bought for Vietnamese coffee but now I'm gonna have to try it without condensed milk too.
Thanks for this vid, very enlightening.
I freaking hate acidity, and love dark roasts. I have no problem with some bitterness, it's like some beers, right?
Taste is subjective
I came here because I had a Moka Pot shot of 100% Robusta and it was bitter and rather bad. I am planning to try it with an Aeropress tomorrow, at a coarser grind and slightly lower water temperature. Will try your 1:14 ratio and report back.
Bad or not, robusta can still at least be counted on giving a needed kick if you're in a hurry.
Many coffees such as Maromas Orphea sold and pushed by wholelattelove.com has lots of Robusta. In fact, WLL and Maromas won't say or doesn't know how much Robusta is in their coffees.
interesting video! I would be interested to try roasting and brewing some robusta beans. I have not seen robusta beans for sale to home-coffee roasting people.
I am going to try some on your recomendation
Easier to brew, cheaper, easier to grow, and survives longer on the shelf. What's not to love?
Just bought a kilo of Indian Robusta, looking forward to trying it.
what can you tell us about stenophylla coffee?
Love Robusta beans, good roasters can make delightful espresso with it.
I don't really care about the taste. I am in it for the effects. Not only caffeine content, but theobromine, theophylline, and dozens of other active compounds also vary. Robusta contains much more chlorogenic acid and antioxidants, and is probably the healthier choice.
I have some robosta tree's on my farm i just harvest them and dryed and roasted the beans it tastes grate so good that i will sell in my store
If Robusta is twice the caffeine as Arabica, is the caffeine crash twice as hard?
Both the high and low can be intense. It's very individual whether you like it.
What was your ratio for the espresso shot you pulled? I had a small bag of robusta delivered today and I’m trying to figure out the best way to enjoy it as espresso
Sorry, can't remember. Probably somewhere around 1:2,5 - but you can also go for the standard 1:2. Hope you enjoy!
Great, much required understanding of Robusta. I had some from Vietnam and amazing. Can you suggest a brand with high caffeine Robusta
Thanks. They should all have quite high caffeine :) I have mostly gotten small samples from farmers and exporters, so I'm a little bit unsure there are any mainstream roasters that sell topnotch quality at the moment. Hopefully we'll have some options soon.
Where do you live?
I love robusta. It doesn't have that awful sweet and acidic quality of arabica. I had pretty much stopped drinking coffee because it was giving me a sour stomach and headache....and then I found robusta.
Robusta + condensed milk is the best
Arabica best enjoyed with no additional things.
Both with any kind of brewing method.
Each have their unique taste.
But personally i like robusta more
Does robusta on medium roast still produce the burnt rubber bitter flavor?
It depends on the farming and processing practices, but it can be very clean
Thanks for showing the good side of robusta
Hey TCC, where did you get the coffee from? Does anyone know where to get in Europe?
I know Len's sells Dalat (which is supposedly good), so does Nguyen Coffee Supply, but none seem to ship to Europe.
I have gotten most of my special beans like Robusta and Liberica from small roasters and farmers from South East Asia. Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be many roasters in Europe dealing with these beans. I'll try to investigate more and let you know.
@@coffeechronicler I am from coffee cooperative from Vietnam, we are preparing different process method for Robusta to upgrade the quality. Thanks for your information clip. We would like to share you samples for your tasting.
The Case for Robusta
The most underrated coffee bean in the industry; I’ve been drinking it for six months now. Most experts, which I’m not, will avoid selling these types of beans.
Robusta is considered inferior to its Arabica sibling for a few reasons. One reason is It’s less refined in taste, which could be described as having a rubbery or gummy taste. In terms of appearance, it’s said that the shapes and sizes are uneven and broken. You’ll never see a robusta in a cupping competition.
I and a few other coffee lovers are pushing back against these claims for a few reasons of our own.
Facts matter!
Robusta has more caffeine than Arabica, so hurray for me. I need my morning kick. Robusta is richer in disease-fighting antioxidants than Arabica in the form of quinines, especially if the beans are LIGHT roasted!
Taste:
I humbly disagree with the critics. A freshly light roasted robusta will yield beautiful aromatics and flavor. Expect milk chocolate, Shiraz, stone fruit, long tail finishes of red wine and flower. I have also enjoyed a medium roast version as well-exotic indeed.
I’m drinking a Côte d'Ivoire, Ivory Coast Robusta and am very pleased.
Hi, thanks for the video and the info. I’m about to make my own video about robusta, but figured I needed to try it first. I just placed an order with Nguyen coffee supplier for their Vietnamese robusta, because it’s single origin. I’m curious for what it will taste like.
still, the best blend Ive tasted is 50% robusta, 30% arabica and 20% excelsa - tastes like wine!
Thank you. I may end up giving this a try someday.
try fine robusta temanggung, medium roast, its delicious.
It’s been a while since I had a robusta/arabica blended espresso, but today was the day. Got it from Cafe Lusso, I really enjoyed it, very Italian in style. I will try find a pure higher altitude specialty robusta to try as espresso. Any suggestions are welcomed. Great information, thank you.
Interesting, thanks.
here in Australia , 100% robusta ground coffee is nearly impossible to find . in ALL the major supermarkets only 100% Arabica ground coffee is available .
Yes, I've never seen it anywhere; would like to try it though (but not as instant).
@@gerryhouska2859 Robusta is used for instant , Arabica is used for ground coffee here .
Robusta is a good coffee, mixing with Arabica or not. The problem is very difficult to find this lovely coffee beans. Not enough for everybody. The biggest coffee companies like Lavazza buy it and mixing with the Arabica and make their own unique coffee.
While Robusta will be affected by climate change, it will not be affected so severely, so it will likely do fairly well in future.
I'm highly intrigued by this. Especially sweetness and plant hardiness. Do you know anyone in the U.S. doing a good roasting it? Somewhere I could buy it online?
Thanks! I'll check them out. Ok so it's not sweeter? Did I hear correctly that it is less acidic?
@@robertporter2746 Yes, there's almost no acidity but a bit more bitterness due to that higher caffeine content.
Hey, try Len's Coffee! He offers robusta sourced from Phillipines, India and Vietnam. He's a master roaster and it's all direct trade.
@@SweetChinMuzik1 Thanks! I will definitely check them out. I bought some Robusta- what turned out to be bad Robusta. It was full blown burnt rubber! I could not finish the second cup and threw the rest out.
But recently I was fortunate enough to get some high quality Robusta- only a 50 gram sample. But enough for 3 cuppings. On day 2 I got the 3 cup dialed in and really enjoyed it. Then things got weird. Later that day I made a cup of my normal Arabica from my local roaster- and it just seemed like less! Less substantial. Less mouthfeel. Less taste. Weak, in fact. I found myself wanting the Robusta! Now that's crazy stuff.
So I'll definitely check out Len's!
@@SweetChinMuzik1 received my 3 8 oz bags of Len's today. I've started with Saigon Cafe Blend and its very good. Roasted a bit darker than I prefer but still very enjoyable. It's got that great Robusta mouthfeel - substantial and smooth! I'll certainly finish the bag. I also have Full Throttle and Jerome's blend. Looking forward to tasting those! Thanks for the recommendation. RP
Robusta tastes so much better to me, and I drink it Armenian style, black with no sugar.
To me it tastes earthy and nutty, more full flavored and smoother than Arabica. And I agree, less acidity for sure.
Greeting from Thai Fans, I Would give a robusta a shot, because my uncle hates the acidity in coffee even with arabica espresso blend (Medium - Dark Roast) 😂.
Suvardikrup! You're lucky, it's easy to find good robusta in Thailand :) Gem Forest and Hillkoff are probably the best places to look.
@@coffeechronicler Have you heard of Gong Coffee at Gong Valley Ranong. He's the guy trying to improve robusta to the specialty grade.
@@ShinapatKunapanyakorn I think I have tried some of those beans roasted by Kim Coffee. Really good quality!
@@coffeechronicler I think I'll have to follow your guide in the robusta journey right now!. I'll try all of the mentioned of yours. Thank you very much.
@@ShinapatKunapanyakorn Thanks for the kind words. The one from Gem Forest is amazing for espresso, good luck!