I have been interested in Robusta lately, both in a good and bad way. I was curious if other coffee drinkers liked Robusta versus the more common Arabica? Whether your favorite coffee shop offers any single origin Robusta or blends that you like? Or have you home roasted any and what did you think about it?
Any Robusta Coffee fans?
- Thread starter StillShaving
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #2
I have some green Robusta beans that are well over a year old. When I first roasted it, I liked it a lot. The flavor may not have been as super complex as other coffees, but it was interesting and tasted great. The last couple of times I roasted it the flavor was much less interesting with little brightness and lots of bass notes. Almost reminding me of cold brewed coffee. The extra caffeine kick is there (whether real or imagined), when attempting to drink my normal amount of coffee I could sense the caffeine jitters which never happens to me.
I also found it more tricky to roast, when using my normal Behmor settings (A-1 profile) it wants to enter 2nd crack very soon after 1st crack and I nearly always end up over roasting a bit, which doesn't help preserve any of the fruitiness. So that is a mistake I am making, not the coffee's fault. When making a single cup Aeropress I found that I needed to reduce the normal amount of ~17g down to ~12g (eyeballing it) and grind it more coarsely than normal to get a cup that was not over powering. At normal strength I felt it would make a good base for a mocha frappuccino, rather than a plain cup of joe.
Some pictures of a recent roast.
Getting ready for the roaster:
Immediately after roasting, entered 2nd Crack before stopping the roast:
Roast one week later, the oils have surfaced:
I also found it more tricky to roast, when using my normal Behmor settings (A-1 profile) it wants to enter 2nd crack very soon after 1st crack and I nearly always end up over roasting a bit, which doesn't help preserve any of the fruitiness. So that is a mistake I am making, not the coffee's fault. When making a single cup Aeropress I found that I needed to reduce the normal amount of ~17g down to ~12g (eyeballing it) and grind it more coarsely than normal to get a cup that was not over powering. At normal strength I felt it would make a good base for a mocha frappuccino, rather than a plain cup of joe.
Some pictures of a recent roast.
Getting ready for the roaster:
Immediately after roasting, entered 2nd Crack before stopping the roast:
Roast one week later, the oils have surfaced:
Last edited:
i have no idea if i have any robusta or not. but robusta is known for being fuller bodied than arabica hence the blends for a coffee with a even profile.
I think it's awful and has no place in specialty coffee.
I'm pretty sure the vast majority of the coffee drunk throughout the world is Robusta.
Key being "throughout the world." In the U.S., the Arabica is most common and is the selling point ("100% Arabica" is often seen on labels in the States ... I've yet to see any brand advertise NOT containing Arabica as in any way positive here ...)
robusta by itself is like trying to listen to music thourgh just a subwoofer. sure you get the beat but the melody is where the song is at. it needs those more delicate flavors the mids and highs to say to make a complete package. on the other hand some arabica's feel thin and really acidic. robusta beans are less acidic and have a fuller body and more caffeine than arabica but dont have those complex flavors.
edit they also have more oil in them to make some really amazing crema.
edit they also have more oil in them to make some really amazing crema.
The first statement is also incorrect. Walk through any coffee section of most grocery and big box stores and all those countless cans of all sizes are made up mostly of ground Robusta beans. The second statement has nothing at all to do with the fact that far more Robusta bean coffee is quaffed (yes, in America also) than is Arabica bean coffee.
I'm not arguing that Arabica beans aren't more desirable, all things considered, particularly to folks who appreciate paying up for some of the finer things in life. But in most households Robusta or a Robusta-heavy blend is what's in the cup.
I just had a horrific vision of the future where I bring out my Arabica beans only for very special occasions and all of the rest of the time I drink a blend of roasted robusta and grain.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-27/robusta-coffee-beats-arabica-as-folgers-cut-prices-commodities.html
-jim
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-08-27/robusta-coffee-beats-arabica-as-folgers-cut-prices-commodities.html
-jim
From the Bloomers article ...
Robusta will account for 46 percent of all coffee consumption in 2012-13, up from 44 percent this season and 40 percent in 2010-11, Volcafe Ltd. estimates.
Apparently those who claim that Robusta is more common should "provide citations."
While I was initially under the impression that Arabica was more common in the U.S. (which is correct!) but may not be more common worldwide, apparently according to industry insiders, Arabica consumption is more common ... period.
- Thread starter
- #11
I vaguely recall reading an article about world-wide production totals from a few years ago that stated there was more Robusta produced, and it also noted that almost all of Vietnam's production was bought by large companies such as Nestle, for the purpose of making instant coffee. Here is a another article about Nestle's making new investments there.
But regardless of exact production numbers of Arabica vs Robusta, I was asking the question more from the point of view of a coffee connoisseur who is looking for the best fresh brewed coffee taste, regardless of their preferred brewing method. Where Arabica is the most common choice for reasons stated above. Whether anyone here had found an aspect of Robusta they enjoyed. This is not a multiple choice question, but was secretly hoping to find response like:
As I did like my initial batch of Robusta and I'm sure it had a wider spectrum of flavor that my last couple of roasts, which have been barely drinkable.
But regardless of exact production numbers of Arabica vs Robusta, I was asking the question more from the point of view of a coffee connoisseur who is looking for the best fresh brewed coffee taste, regardless of their preferred brewing method. Where Arabica is the most common choice for reasons stated above. Whether anyone here had found an aspect of Robusta they enjoyed. This is not a multiple choice question, but was secretly hoping to find response like:
- Robusta is great if you home roast using profile X
- Robusta is great just after harvest, but not if it sits more than X months
- X percent Robusta blend with Y percent Colombian Arabica makes a nice espresso with extra kick
- Robusta is great if grown on a volcano hillside at X feet above sea level in a wispy fog (i.e. is there a Kona micro-climate equivalent)
- Robusta is great for cold brewing, or base for ice cream, milk drinks, sweet drinks, etc.
As I did like my initial batch of Robusta and I'm sure it had a wider spectrum of flavor that my last couple of roasts, which have been barely drinkable.
Similar threads
