Can Robusta even be specialty coffee? Coffee expert Constantin Hoppenz makes a clear case for yes, brings compelling arguments for it, and challenges coffee roasters.
Is Robusta the inferior Arabica? This assumption persists stubbornly — we hear it in almost every beginner course. Our longtime friend, Constantin Hoppenz, has given this careful thought.
Robusta, a specialty?
When people hear Robusta, they usually think nothing good. The associations range from dark Italian coffee blends with major breath-odor potential to mass production in Vietnam for instant coffee and other cheap products.
The current image is clear: Arabica as a must for anyone who wants quality in the cup; Robusta for those who want it cheap and easy.
Accordingly, most people in the specialty coffee world are clearly negative about Robusta. Understandable. Taste a standard-quality Robusta once, and it certainly doesn't bring a smile to your lips.
But why, really? Is Robusta truly as bad as its reputation? What role does Robusta play in coffee's future? And does something like Specialty Robusta Coffee exist?
Why we should engage more with Robusta. A case for it.
Facts for coffee beginners
The botanical name for Robusta is coffea canephora, which, unlike Arabica (coffea arabica), is not commonly used. Robusta production has gained significant momentum over the past decades. Currently, 40% of global coffee production comes from Robusta cultivation. (39 million bags) In 1990, at 19 million bags, it was less than half that. The largest producing countries are Vietnam (40%), Brazil (25%), Indonesia (15%), India (6%), and Uganda (4.5%). Robusta grows best in tropical regions below 1,000 meters altitude (Arabica grows better at higher elevations).
Climate change and economic viability
Coffee, like any agricultural product, is affected by weather and other natural influences. Coffea arabica is particularly susceptible to temperature and rainfall fluctuations and also suffers from disease such as leaf rust.
Around 2014, "la roya" (coffee rust) struck all of Central America, destroying up to 50% of the harvest. Anyone who thinks this isn't relevant for specialty coffee, which grows protected from leaf rust in high-altitude cultivation, is mistaken. Coffee production is tightly interconnected. Sufficient high-quality coffee only exists when producing countries and their coffee farms are in good health. The vast majority of specialty coffee farmers live off selling average-quality beans at world market prices.
For producing countries like Nicaragua, coffee is one of the most important export goods. Therefore, preserving this sector is of great importance for these countries. They see an increasingly large global coffee market and want to participate in its growth.
Rising coffee demand
By 2050, global demand is expected to rise to up to 300,000 million bags. (Currently approximately 160,000 million). Even if one should treat such figures with great caution, the trend is clear. By the same time, the agricultural land suitable for Arabica production will halve due to climate change.
Clearing forests to obtain new agricultural land for Arabica would be the consequence. Here it would be a perspective to instead supplement or replace the existing Arabica stock with Robusta plants at lower cultivation altitudes (below approximately 1,000 meters). The gain in usable coffee would be exponential, as Robusta yields up to four times greater output. Additionally, Robusta is far easier to handle and more stable in cultivation.
Sustainability must also be thought of from the producers' economic perspective, because coffee will only be grown if it's financially viable. Currently, Weltmarktpreise">prices at only 120 US cents per pound for Arabica fall below its production costs. Add to this the aforementioned impact of disease and poor weather conditions, which lead to lower harvest yields. So it's no wonder that Robusta is increasingly considered a serious alternative. Colombia's Agricultural Ministry recently began collaborating with Nestlé to test over 3,000 Robusta seedlings for cultivation. Costa Rica has also recently lifted a ban on non-Arabica variety production.
Robusta in research
At the same time, intensive research is creating new Arabica varieties that are significantly more resistant than their predecessors. The research center CATIE (Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza) in Costa Rica alone examines over 1,000 new varieties. The genetic diversity of coffea canephora (Robusta) is of great importance here. It is considered the evolutionary mother of coffea arabica. (coffea canephora + coffea eugenoides = coffea arabica) whose genetic material is crucial for developing resistant Arabicas.
In an article published at the beginning of the year titled "High extinction risk for wild coffee species and implications for coffee sector sustainability," it states:
"Robusta coffee has therefore been responsible for overcoming most of the key issues for coffee sector sustainability, either by direct replacement or through use in breeding new cultivars, rendering the development and use of other coffee species unnecessary."
The contribution in Science Advances Magazine points to the threat to naturally occurring coffee species, whose protection is essential for coffee's continued existence as a cultivated plant.
These aspects are therefore directly related to specialty coffee, as they affect almost all regions and producers that create exceptional coffee. Once more: specialty coffee is not isolated from the ecological challenges and economic hardships of the producers, for whom specialty coffee often represents only a fraction of their yield.
A sensory enrichment
From a taste perspective too, Coffea Canephora should not be a no-go. Anyone who has ever had the pleasure of a good Robusta knows that it doesn't inherently have a bitter, bland taste reminiscent of car tire smell. A Fine">fine Robusta, which according to CQI qualifies as a specialty, is just as clean and balanced as a Specialty Arabica.
Flavor notes vary depending on terroir and processing. They are often in the nutty-chocolate range but can also be fruit-forward. Particularly characteristic of Robusta is a full body that makes some Arabicas seem like thin soup. Additionally, coffea canephora has lower perceptible acidity and higher salinity, which can be traced back to a greater amount of potassium in the bean. (Think of the flavor profile salty-caramel).
Higher bitterness is also typical and is caused in part by higher caffeine content. Up to more than twice as much caffeine as in Arabica (2-4% vs. 1.5%) is normal. Anyone who doesn't get going in the morning even after a double espresso (from Arabica) will appreciate this. While preferences regarding bitterness, like chocolate, vary greatly, it is sensorially enriching and stimulating in the right measure.
Where are the Specialty Robustas?
If coffea canephora can be so delicious, why is there virtually no high-quality Robusta to drink in the cafés of this world? The fact that coffee in general can be a complex beverage like wine has only been known for a while. Only in 1974 did the term Specialty Coffee come into circulation through an article by Erna Knutsen. Since then, a steadily growing number of people have devoted themselves to this unique product. Then as now, it takes driving forces to advance coffee and bring about a change in thinking. Until now, there have been too few actors willing to view Robusta from a quality perspective to sustainably change its reputation for the better. However, first initiatives were made a few years ago. In 2009, the first seminars under the direction of the Coffee Quality Institute to assess Robusta were conducted. The goal was to establish a quality standard similar to that for Arabica. A newer version of this protocol was only recently published during the World of Coffee in Berlin. According to this protocol, a Fine Grade Robusta is present if it achieves at least 80 points and has fewer than 8 defects in a 350g sample.
Some noteworthy farms already consistently producing Fine Robusta are the Sethuraman Estate in India or the Jhai">cooperative in Laos.
When people taste Specialty Robusta for the first time, they often don't even know it's Robusta. As nice as this is, one should know that Robusta requires a different approach.
Robusta often loses in comparison with Arabica because the rules of the game are made for Arabica.
Constantin Hoppenz
We often view high-quality coffee only from the perspective of potential. What can this coffee offer under the best possible conditions? That's unrealistic.
The conditions for a good cup of coffee are rarely optimally met. If one orients the question of which coffee is good and which is less good to how many satisfactory cups of coffee it ultimately enables, then the average is more decisive than the extreme.
Robusta is far more forgiving to prepare as an espresso than Arabica. In most cafés, coffee tends to be underextracted, which makes an Arabica with high acidity far more undrinkable than a Robusta.
Additionally, much of it is still prepared as a milk drink. With strong caramel aromas and plenty of body, Robusta hits the taste of most coffee drinkers. Mario Fernandez, Technical Director ICO, described the difference between the two varieties in a very amusing but apt way as follows:
If both were animals, Arabica would be the horse and Robusta the donkey. Robusta is a real workhorse while Arabica shines more in show-offs. Presenting a donkey in dressage is just as misguided as having a horse climb steep hillsides as a pack animal.
Specialty Coffee is more than just taste
For most coffee enthusiasts, it all began with the first special cup of coffee. This experience with the first fruity natural coffee from Ethiopia stays with many. But specialty coffee is much more than what's in the cup. Specialty coffee stands for a change in thinking. It stands for respect toward products that have become far too taken for granted. Good coffee also means good conduct.
Requirements such as traceability and transparency, fair prices, and appreciation for hard work are an expression of values that make the specialty coffee world unique. For me, they are the reason I work in this industry.
Constantin Hoppenz
If one represents these values with conviction, it's only logical to make the same demands of Robusta.
Anyone who calls themselves a roastery "Specialty" and stands for Nachhaltigkeit">quality, cannot at the same time rail against Robusta. Or is it unthinkable that a Robusta producer wants to produce the best possible quality, practices sustainable cultivation, and wants to work directly with roasteries?
It's not a compromise in terms of quality when we as a coffee industry pay more attention to Robusta production. Because the pursuit of ever-better coffees in the simple sense eventually reaches its limits. Let's think about coffee in context. If we develop quality broadly rather than always pushing further up, we can ultimately inspire more people about coffee — whether Arabica or Robusta.
Constantin Hoppenz
Berlin, September 2019
Wie">How do you taste Robusta "correctly"? A report from the R-Grader course
Wie">What does fine Robusta taste like as an espresso? Taste our Robusta espresso from Java.
