Can Robusta even be specialty coffee? Coffee expert Constantin Hoppenz argues with a clear "yes," presenting compelling arguments and challenging coffee roasters.
Is Robusta just bad Arabica? This assumption persists, and we hear it in almost every other beginner's course. Our longtime friend, Constantin Hoppenz, has given precise thought to this matter.
Constantin Hoppenz lives in Berlin and is a coffee consultant.
Robusta, a Specialty?
When people hear Robusta, they usually don't think good things. Associations range from dark, Italian coffee blends with high bad-breath potential to mass production in Vietnam for instant coffee and other cheap products.
The current picture is clear: Arabica is a must for anyone who wants quality in their cup; Robusta is for those who want it cheap and simple.
Accordingly, most people in the specialty coffee industry have a distinctly negative attitude towards Robusta. Understandably so. If you ever taste a standard quality Robusta, it's not exactly going to put a smile on your face.
But why is that? Is Robusta really as bad as its reputation? What role does Robusta play in the future of coffee? And is there such a thing as Specialty Robusta Coffee?
Why we should pay more attention to Robusta. A plea.
Facts for Coffee Beginners
The botanical name of Robusta is coffea canephora, which, unlike Arabica (coffea arabica), is not commonly used. Robusta production has significantly increased in recent decades. Currently, 40% of the world's coffee production comes from Robusta cultivation (39 million bags). In 1990, it was less than half that, with 19 million bags. The largest producing countries are Vietnam (40%), Brazil (25%), Indonesia (15%), India (6%), and Uganda (4.5%). Robusta grows best in tropical regions below 1000 meters altitude (Arabica grows better at higher altitudes).
Climate Change and Economic Viability
Like any agricultural product, coffee is affected by weather and other natural influences. Coffea arabica is particularly susceptible to temperature and rainfall fluctuations and also suffers from diseases such as leaf rust.
Around 2014, "la roya" (coffee rust) affected all of Central America, destroying up to 50% of the harvest. Anyone who thinks this is not relevant for specialty coffee, which grows protected from leaf rust in high altitudes, is mistaken. Coffee production is closely intertwined. Enough high-quality coffee is only available if cultivating countries and their coffee farms are in a healthy state. The majority of coffee farmers producing specialty coffee rely on selling average qualities at world market prices.
For cultivating countries like Nicaragua, coffee is one of the most important export goods. Therefore, the preservation of this sector is of great importance for these countries. They see an ever-growing global market for coffee, in whose growth they want to participate.
Increasing Demand for Coffee
By 2050, global demand is expected to rise to up to 300,000 million bags. (Currently approx. 160,000 million). Even if such figures should be treated with great caution, the trend is clear. By the same time, however, the agricultural area favorable for Arabica production will halve due to climate change.
The deforestation of forests to create new agricultural land for Arabica would therefore be the consequence. Here, one perspective would be to supplement or replace the existing Arabica stock with Robusta plants at lower altitudes (below approx. 1000 meters). The gain in usable coffee would be exponential, as Robusta yields up to four times more. In addition, Robusta is much easier to handle and more stable to cultivate.
Sustainability must also be considered here from the economic perspective of the producers, because coffee will only be cultivated if it is financially viable. Currently, world market prices for Arabica are only 120 US cents per pound, which is below its production costs. Added to this are the aforementioned influences of diseases and bad weather conditions, which lead to lower crop yields. It is therefore not surprising that Robusta is increasingly being considered a serious alternative. The Ministry of Agriculture of Colombia recently began testing over 3000 Robusta seedlings for cultivation in cooperation with Nestlé. Costa Rica also recently lifted a ban on the production of non-Arabica varieties.
Robusta in Research
At the same time, intensive research is leading to 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 is investigating over 1000 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 the development of resistant Arabicas.
In an article published earlier this 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 article in Science Advances Magazine points out the threat to naturally occurring coffee species, whose protection is essential for the continued existence of coffee as a crop.
These aspects are therefore directly related to specialty coffee, as they affect almost all regions and producers that produce special coffee. Once again: specialty coffee is not detached from the ecological challenges and economic hardships of producers, for whom specialty coffee often makes up only a fraction of their income.
A Sensory Enrichment
From a taste perspective, Coffea Canephora should not be a no-go either. Anyone who has ever enjoyed a good Robusta knows that it does not inherently have a bitter, bland taste similar to car tires. A Fine Robusta, considered a specialty according to CQI, 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. A full body is particularly characteristic of Robusta, making some Arabicas seem like thin soup. In addition, coffea canephora has a lower perceptible acidity and higher salinity, which can be attributed to a larger amount of potassium in the bean. (Think of the "Salty Caramel" flavor).
A higher bitterness is also typical and is caused, among other things, by a 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 be pleased. While preferences regarding bitterness, as with 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 are there almost no high-quality Robustas to drink in the world's cafes? That coffee can generally be a complex drink like wine has only been known for a while. The term Specialty Coffee first came into circulation in 1974 through a contribution by Erna Knutsen. Since then, a steadily growing number of people have been engaged with this unique product. Then as now, it takes driving forces to advance coffee and thus bring about a rethinking. So far, there have not been enough actors who would also consider Robusta from a quality perspective to sustainably change its reputation for the better. However, initial steps were taken several years ago. In 2009, the first seminars on Robusta evaluation were conducted under the direction of the Coffee Quality Institute. The goal was to establish a quality standard similar to that of Arabica. A newer form of this protocol was recently published during the World of Coffee in Berlin. According to this protocol, a Fine Grade Robusta is present if it scores at least 80 points and has fewer than 8 defects in a 350g sample.
Some notable farms that consistently produce Fine Robusta include the Sethuraman Estate in India and the Jhai Cooperative in Laos.
When tasting Specialty Robusta for the first time, people often don't even realize it's Robusta. As nice as this is, it's important to know that Robusta requires a different approach.
Robusta often loses out in comparison to Arabica, as the rules of the game are made for Arabica.
Constantin Hoppenz
We often consider high-quality coffee only from the aspect of potential. What can this coffee offer under the best possible conditions? That is unrealistic.
The conditions for a good cup of coffee are rarely optimally met. If you orient the question of which coffee is good and less good on how many satisfying cups of coffee it ultimately enables, the average is much more decisive than the extreme.
Robusta is much more forgiving to prepare as an espresso than Arabica. Coffee in most cafes is usually underextracted, which makes a high-acidity Arabica much more undrinkable than a Robusta.
In addition, a large part is still prepared as a milk drink. With strong caramel aromas and a lot of body, Robusta meets the taste of most coffee drinkers here. Mario Fernandez, Technical Director ICO, described the difference between the two varieties very amusingly but aptly as follows:
If both were animals, Arabica would be the horse and Robusta the donkey. Robusta is a real workhorse while Arabica scores more with showmanship. Trying to present a donkey in dressage is as misguided as having a horse climb steep mountain slopes as a pack animal.
Specialty Coffee is More Than Just Taste
For most coffee enthusiasts, it all began with that first special cup of coffee. Many remember that experience with their first fruity natural coffee from Ethiopia. But specialty coffee is much more than what's in the cup. Specialty coffee stands for a paradigm shift. It stands for respect towards products that have become far too commonplace. Good coffee also means good trade.
Demands like traceability and transparency, fair prices, and appreciation for hard work are an expression of values that make the world of specialty coffee unique. For me, they are the reason to work in this industry.
Constantin Hoppenz
If one upholds these values with conviction, it is only consistent to demand the same for Robusta.
If a roastery proudly labels itself "Specialty" and stands for sustainability, it cannot simultaneously 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 if we, as the coffee industry, pay more attention to Robusta production. Because the pursuit of ever better coffees in a simple sense eventually reaches its limits. Let's think about coffee in context. If we develop quality broadly, instead of always striving higher, we can ultimately inspire more people for coffee – whether Arabica or Robusta.
Constantin Hoppenz
Berlin, September 2019
How to "properly" taste Robusta? A report on the R-Grader course
How does fine Robusta taste as espresso? Taste our Robusta espresso from Java.
