What is robusta coffee, and why is it cheaper than arabica?

Robusta is one variety under the Canephora coffee species, a medium-seeded coffee native to the Congo Basin in West Africa. Only Arabica and Robusta carry real commercial value, and Robusta is largely left out of specialty coffee, where 100% Arabica is used as a selling point. It is mostly directed to instant coffee and espresso blends, which is why it reads as cheap and bitter to many drinkers.

Botanically the species is Canephora, at the same level as the Arabica species, and Robusta is one variety within it, just as Typica sits under Arabica. Other Canephora subspecies stayed wild and were never cultivated commercially, so the whole species is now called Robusta by default. It was identified in Congo in 1898, several centuries after Arabica was domesticated, and it remains the workhorse robusta coffee beans of blends.

The coffee world is mainly divided into three major varieties: Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica, of which only the first two have commercial value. In the specialty coffee field, Robusta is almost ignored, and merchants often use 100% Arabica as a selling point. Robusta is often seen as a symbol of cheapness and bitterness, but it also had its glory days, and today it is mostly used in instant coffee and espresso blends. This article will sort out Robusta's origin, flavor characteristics, differences from Arabica, why it is cheap, how much it costs per jin, and retain Front Street brand-related recommendations, to help coffee lovers fully understand this variety.

The coffee family includes three major varieties: Arabica, Robusta, and Liberica, but only Arabica and Robusta truly have commercial value. In the context of specialty coffee, Robusta is almost never mentioned, and in daily life it is also common for merchants to emphasize that their products are 100% Arabica. This situation seems to imply: Arabica is the favored rich young lady, while Robusta is the dusty, poor child.

Robusta's birthplace

Both Arabica and Robusta originate from Africa. Arabica belongs to the small-seeded species and rose to prominence in the high-altitude areas of the Ethiopian plateau. After leaving Ethiopia, the seeds spread around the world via the port of Mocha, and after centuries of cultivation, they differentiated into many varieties such as Typica, Bourbon, Geisha, and Caturra, all of which are classified under the Arabica coffee species.

Robusta belongs to the medium-seeded species and is native to the Congo Basin area on the west coast of Africa. If classified strictly according to botany, it should be called "Canephora coffee species" (Congo species), which belongs to the same level as the "Arabica coffee species." Robusta is only one variety under the Canephora species, just as Typica is one variety under the Arabica species.

The reason Robusta is far more famous than Canephora is that the other subspecies under this species did not live up to expectations; only Robusta has been used by humans for commercial cultivation, while the rest remain in the wild. Therefore, today medium-seeded coffee is usually directly called Robusta. However, in terms of domestication time, Arabica predates Robusta by several centuries. Robusta was a new variety discovered in Congo in 1898 by a Belgian scholar, and was subsequently introduced to affected areas because of its excellent disease resistance during the global spread of leaf rust.

Robusta also once had its moment in the spotlight

Robusta has a high caffeine content and rich oils. During the period when espresso swept the world, it was often used in espresso bean blends. At that time, people drank coffee largely to consume caffeine.

Later, as the concept of specialty coffee emerged, people began to focus on regional flavors. Robusta naturally carries bitterness, as well as flavors such as walnut, peanut, hazelnut, and smoke, which are usually regarded as negative in coffee. More importantly, after Arabica was organized by origin, its flavor performance far surpassed Robusta. This can be considered an inherent shortcoming. Robusta's flavor is far less pleasing than Arabica's, so people are more inclined to choose Arabica.

Inherently deficient, and poorly adjusted later

Front Street believes that in the ranks of specialty coffee, flavor comes first, and caffeine is no longer the only purpose of drinking coffee. Robusta's advantages instantly become disadvantages. Light-roasted Arabica can display floral and fruity aromas and acidity, leaving a lasting impression. If Robusta is light-roasted, however, its grain and almond flavors and messy acidity make people resist it. Overall, with the current Robusta, there is no hope in the light-roast track.

As for the dark-roast track, Robusta's bitterness is pushed to the extreme by dark roasting. Mm, too bitter, but also very fragrant. Vietnam often drinks Robusta coffee; they like its aroma but cannot stand the bitterness, so they add condensed milk or egg to black coffee to neutralize it.

Some people will say that Robusta's growing environment is inherently worse than Arabica's, and low-altitude Arabica does not taste good either. So some people have tried planting Robusta at high altitudes and taking careful care of it, attempting to remove that tormenting bitter and miscellaneous taste.

India's "Coffee Royal" Robusta, known as specialty Robusta, is cultivated using the same standards as specialty Arabica. This bean performs quite cleanly, without the troublesome defective flavors of cheap Robusta. The mouthfeel is thicker and steadier, as if tasting peanut butter or hazelnut spread, with intense walnut, peanut, hazelnut, and wheat flavors.

Indeed, improving cultivation levels can enhance coffee flavor quality, but Robusta is still Robusta, and its genes determine that its flavor cannot be like Arabica's. This is not to say that Robusta's taste is necessarily worse than Arabica's, but as long as public taste still leans toward Arabica, it will be hard for Robusta to have its day. The public will only measure Robusta by Arabica standards. Although unfair, this is reality.

Since it does not taste good, what is Robusta used for?

Robusta's first major advantage is that it is cheap. Taking Brazilian coffee as an example, ordinary Robusta costs only half as much as ordinary Arabica. The second is body and caffeine, both of which are superior to Arabica. When these three advantages are combined, serving as an instant coffee raw material becomes its best destination.

Of course, some higher-quality Robusta beans, because of their prominent caramel aroma and rich oils, often appear as espresso blends or single-origin Robusta coffee beans. Therefore, when buying traditional-style espresso coffee, the first choices are Front Street Classic Blend and Front Street Commercial Blend. During extraction, you can obtain aromas of butter, nuts, spices, and dark chocolate. The wild tone and overflowing oils are the biggest characteristics. If the barista adds a beautiful latte art, it easily leaves a deep impression;

To be honest, Front Street once tasted a Vietnamese Robusta. The milk and cream aromas were very rich and pleasant, but the bitterness was truly shocking. (Better just honestly add milk! 😓)

The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.