Plant of the Month: Robusta Coffee (2021)

https://daily.jstor.org/plant-of-the-month-robusta-coffee/

by Tomte • 4 years ago

59 73 4 years ago

daily.jstor.org

bigDinosaur• 4 years ago

Instant coffee is like canned tuna: actually it can taste alright or even good, but what a shame it came to this.

0des6• 4 years ago

Oh that's a good one :)

mypastself6• 4 years ago

When I got myself an espresso machine, I experimented with various settings and types of beans, all kinds of single-origin specialty-store gourmet stuff, 5 or 6 different arabica/robusta ratios…

And I came to the conclusion I liked a specific brand of 100% dark-roasted robusta the most, by far. And I like it black.

Now I have to live with the fact that I’m a philistine, a lover of bad coffee, and an enjoyer of burnt tire smell. But hey, at least I can get the stuff I like on the cheap. More discerning types can have their expensive hipster lemon juice (which I also enjoy, but to a much lesser extent).

baldeagle2• 4 years ago

I came by my love of robusta in northern Italy / southern Switzerland, where the local roaster made a blend. Most other coffees just lacked the pizazz.

https://www.amazon.com/Caff%C3%A8-Chicco-Tradition-Whole-100...

mypastself6• 4 years ago

Absolutely. My particular favorite brand happens to be Italian.

wrycoder2• 4 years ago

That particular link claims to be 100% Arabica.

tauntz• 4 years ago

I'm in the same boat - went to a coffee retailer here that sells mostly to restaurants etc and I did a blind test of all the various brands and blends they had available. I liked 100% Robusta the most and I've been drinking that for years now. Most of other coffee drinkers I know are not too fond of my coffee though.

cyxxon• 4 years ago

I mostly brew 100% Robusta or a 60/40 blend as well, after some long testing, I just like it better with the machines in my home. And yes, people look at me weirdly even though I am not in the US, and according to the article people should be used to it "here"... What I find weird as well is how the article basically conflates Robusta and Instant Coffee... instant tastes bad because of the way it is produced, not the bean, which should be clear because, well, enough people actually use Robusta in their non-instant coffee recipies.

2muchcoffeeman4• 4 years ago

Perhaps the US larger buying power means you can get a more steady supply of quality robusta. But in other places getting your hands on a quality robusta is fairly hard. It tends to have a single note. They are generally boring on their own if you want a more complex cup. But the better body and crema makes it a good addition to a blend.

You're wrong about the beans themselves not resulting in a bad cup. Go and find a high quality specialty green and roast it e.g a Cup of Excellence winner. A really good green is much more forgiving to roast and a schmuck like me can get a decent cup. A cheaper bean is more difficult. And typically it's easiest to just roast a bit darker past medium to start hitting the cocoa and caramel notes.

xyzzy_plugh• 4 years ago

You're no philistine. Your palate is sophisticated. Most people don't even like the taste of black coffee!

You probably also like peated whiskies and high ester spirits.

You might even like this 17yo rum[0]:

Initial aromas are of petrol, an old machinists shop with vulcanizing shit going on in the background, rubber, phenols, iodine. Gradually fruits emerge, all dark and sullen and sulky. Plums, blackberries, dates, plus sweet caramel and molasses. Some herbs – dill, rosemary. And behind it all coils the familiar scent of fresh hot tar being laid down in the summer sun.
The taste is very similar. Like the nose, the first notes are of an old bottom-house car repair shop where the oil has soaked into the sand, and rubber tyres and inner tubes are being repaired everywhere, and the occasionally pungent raw petrol aromas makes you feel like you’re passing an oil refinery.

[0] https://thelonecaner.com/r0866/

jcadam• 4 years ago

I've found it's much cheaper to have an unrefined palate. I buy whatever (whole bean) coffee is on sale :D

Same goes for wine.

6keZbCECT2uB• 4 years ago

First off, what makes you happy is its own reason. I think what makes these communities tick isn't about going for what's fashionable, but enthusiasm however that might take form.

Personally, I started liking really dark roasts in a French Press which pushes it even further. But, I learned that what I was looking for were chocolate and earth notes, and that the roast wasn't an especially good predictor of the intensity of those flavors. I had good coffee gear specialty shops that did flights for purchasing beans, and Starbucks Reserve (with some hits and misses) for getting more variety in flights.

nkozyra5• 4 years ago

But, I learned that what I was looking for were chocolate and earth notes, and that the roast wasn't an especially good predictor of the intensity of those flavors.

And in fact, dark roasts are more likely to obscure those flavors.

Too light a roast and you'll get too much floral/grass, too dark and you'll get too much of a burned flavor, for obvious reasons.

The brew method also plays a big part, which is why dark (ish) roasts do better with cold brew than hot brews for pulling out the beans flavors.

I typically do a medium roast with no oily sheen to them and it serves me well. A honey-wash might take more roasting while keeping its flavor, though I haven't figured out why.

Roasting at home also saves a ton of money and the beans can last two years in storage versus a few weeks post-roast.

WilTimSon• 4 years ago

I'm not one to claim that anything that goes against the grain is good, but in this case I'd say there's 0 reason to chastise your taste. Not only did you do extensive tests to see what exactly you like, you've also managed to find something to appreciate in a largely dismissed thing. In my book, that's a great thing all around - the spirit of discovery mixed with a unique palate.

PS. But I'll keep drinking my hipster juice, simplicity is enough for me.

mypastself6• 4 years ago

Hey, I’m happy with my results. Just don’t tell the guys at my local specialty stores…

slothtrop• 4 years ago

I notice that medium roast is trendiest among the snobs right now. Some shops won't even serve dark. I understand that dark roasts can verge on one-note, but personally I like coffee to taste like coffee. Often times what the shop serves is so lightly roasted and brewed they practically taste like tea, with no body. It's fruity and acidic, which can be a little more varied, but personally dissatisfying.

For espressos, the full-city / medium-dark roast is maybe my favorite right now, and for other brews anything between a medium that's a little on the dark side and a dark roast. Acidic is fine, but it needs that body and deep flavor.

2muchcoffeeman4• 4 years ago

If you want the “classic coffee” taste, find a blend or single origin with Brazilian beans.

Moto7451• 4 years ago

There is good Robusta to be had and well respected espresso focused blends on occasion have robusta in them for body and crema production. A lot of “high caffeine” coffees are also high robusta content.

Personally I find Malabar and Vietnamese Robusta completely acceptable for espresso.

uhtred2• 4 years ago

Good for you. Personally I prefer my coffee to taste of berries or golden raisins or milk chocolate. I'm willing to pay a bit more it. I guess that makes me a hipster.

mypastself6• 4 years ago

I kid because I love. There are a lot of excellent arabica beans. Guatemala was my top choice among them…

GuB-42• 4 years ago

I have tried a few pure robusta coffees and I always find them lacking. They all have that initial kick, which I may like (or not, some coffee is just terrible), but after that, nothing. All flavors are gone, the rest is like water with some chemical bittering agent added, which I find particularly frustrating.

That's why I always drink my robusta as a blend, Italian style. I still get the initial kick of Robusta and its characteristic bitterness but Arabica is still there to fill in the gaps.

But I admit I didn't try that many pure Robustas, maybe some don't suffer that problem.

suction• 4 years ago

No, you are not. You are just not afraid to go against the majority belief saying "Arabica coffee bean is better", which is purely based on marketing and no objective measure whatsoever.

I actually dislike the Arabica taste when it's overpowering the Robusta taste - it just sour and disagreeable. A blend of about 10%-30% Arabica can be interesting, but I would not touch anything beyond that anymore.

And I also enjoy the 100%-Robusta espressos (like Borbone makes) very much, especially when I'm after a chocolatey type flavour with lots of thick, dark crema.

"Arabica = luxury" vs. "Robusta = low grade" might serve the bottom line of coffee planters and producers, but it's just as bad as saying "wine made with grape type A is worse than wine made with grape type B". It always depends on the source material and the execution.

M_bara• 4 years ago

Let me throw you a curve ball. For espresso try a 50-50 blend of gourmet and espresso from these chaps [1], it’s amazing. Elgon is also pretty good as a French press coffee. Not affiliated with them, just a fan.

1. https://www.springvalleycoffee.com/orderusa

ImprovedSilence• 4 years ago

It sounds like I could be in the same boat. What brand of coffee did you settle on?

mypastself6• 4 years ago

Lavazza’s Gusto Forte are the exact beans I’m using at the moment. Its Amazon reviews are very much split: it’s either great, or horrible.

culopatin• 4 years ago

Can to share what brand you like?

mypastself6• 4 years ago

Lavazza’s Gusto Forte beans. They seem to be very divisive online…

eyelidlessness2• 4 years ago

My taste is distant from yours, and probably much closer to the “hipster” stereotype. But I say so with no judgment toward you, only toward the one barista who I’ve ever encountered who very vocally embodied the stereotype.

I prefer light roasts… lighter than most available in a grocery store labeled “light roast”. And most of the time I prefer beans fermented with a “natural” or similar process—some or all of the fruit left on the bean as it ferments and dries, often producing fruity flavor notes ranging from subtle to holy shit are there actual blueberries in this!?

And I prefer my coffee with whole milk. Aforementioned barista was offended, persistently, when he failed to persuade me not to stick with my order for one such roast in a latte. I was, frankly, embarrassed for him. Gratefully, I’ve never encountered that sort of snobbery before or since.

Life is too short and too difficult already, ain’t nobody (well one person) got time for that kind of busybody judgement. Enjoy what you enjoy!

(I told the barista that I understood his opinion that the milk would overpower the delicate flavors of the coffee, and that I anticipated it would be my favorite latte ever. It was, and still is.)

mcdonje2• 4 years ago

Death Wish Coffee has been using robusta in blends with arabica for a decade because of the higher caffeine content.

https://www.deathwishcoffee.com/blogs/coffee-talk/the-rise-o...

0des6• 4 years ago

I drink coffee for the utility of it, and as such want to try to like their coffee but every time I get a cup there's an off taste to it, and for not much more potency to justify it, so I never end up buying the bag which is a little pricey near me.

I've found another coffee that tastes better, is shipped fresher, and has a much higher efficacy. Its called Seattle's Best #5. A bag is about 5 bucks. This stuff will have you vibrating off the desk.

sgt• 4 years ago

There's no way a good bag of coffee beans that is also ethical costs $5

mcdonje2• 4 years ago

I've actually never tried their coffee. I just remember hearing about them using robusta for the caffeine content and finding that interesting.

RussianCow• 4 years ago

Serious question: At that point, why not take a caffeine pill or drink the powder? It's likely far cheaper and more efficient if you only drink coffee for the buzz.

zahma• 4 years ago

Robusta has a higher resistance to insects due to the higher caffeine content. The caffeine that poisons them is what gives us a nice intoxicating buzz. It grows at lower altitudes thanks to this trait. With climate change, it’s unsurprising that this is becoming a more common crop. The coffee snob me doesn’t agree that it makes a coffee beverage equivalent to arabica. Maybe roasters will innovate a way around that. Ditto with instant, though it’s useful to me to find a good roaster’s version when I travel.

The environmentalist me also appreciates that arabica supports better biodiversity, and it’s a shame that farms are tearing down arabica plants to replace with robusta.[1,2] Climate change is wreaking havoc. In places like Ethiopia it’s especially disconcerting since these heirlooms are native species. In other parts of the world as disparate as Indonesia or El Salvador, it’s not too surprising that climate change is exposing the crop’s inability to withstand environmental stress because these were imported during colonial times.

1-https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2020/06/04/why-bio... 2-https://www.reuters.com/world/the-great-reboot/if-your-coffe...

bumby• 4 years ago

The environmentalist me also appreciates that arabica supports better biodiversity

Can you elaborate? The article seems to point to the opposite, when arabica was nearly wiped out around the world by coffee leaf fungus as a result of the bio-homogeneity

margalabargala• 4 years ago

"Supports better biodiversity" refers to the biodiversity of the other animals and plants that grow around the coffee trees in the ecosystem, not the diversity of the coffee trees themselves.

cassepipe• 4 years ago

Thanks for the information. That's why my worst coffee experience was with Robusta. My heart kept beating super fast for the whole day to the point I got concerned.

Synaesthesia• 4 years ago

Vietnam produces a massive amount of coffee, most of it Robusta. Their yields are considerably higher than other countries.

simonebrunozzi• 4 years ago

From memory, 2nd biggest coffee producer in the world after Brazil.

madmax108• 4 years ago

HN coffee afficionados, if you are in a particularly experimental mood, do check out Liberica coffee beans[1], which is a whole different taste palette compared to Arabica and Robusta. In recent years, there's been a bit of a revival happening for Liberica strains across the coffee-sphere and I while I can't guarentee you'll love Liberica (it's been very hit or miss with friends with many finding it too earthy/woody), I can assure that it'll be an experience in and of itself

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coffea_liberica

hammock• 4 years ago

Where do you get yours from? I looked on Amazon and didn’t really find an option

kaetemi• 4 years ago

Liberica coffee goes by the name Barako in the Philippines. Might help with the search.

They sell it in large bags here on the local markets.

(No idea what for, though. Pretty much everyone here just drinks sugary instant coffees...)

harel• 4 years ago

If you live in London, Black Sheep sell high quality Robusta beans. They are very very good and work for different styles (I usually grind and drink as "Turkish").

ThePhysicist• 4 years ago

My local coffee roaster sells a "Sicilian style" 100 % Robusta espresso roast. Twice as much caffeine as Arabica, really strong stuff. I can't stand it permanently though, gives me too much anxious energy. I prefer 70/30 (Arabica/Robusta) roasts, which still have the nice Robusta flavor but a more sane amount of caffeine.

Semaphor2• 4 years ago

I prefer my coffee black, with a decent amount of Robusta (method: ~12h full immersion cold brew in summer, 4 minute full immersion french-press otherwise), dark roast. Robusta adds something that is simply lacking otherwise.

Rechtsstaat• 4 years ago

I can't wait until it gets warmer, immersion cold brew is sooo good :)

It is rather sweet with arabica, is that less so with robusta? How would you compare the taste?

Semaphor2• 4 years ago

If there’s a difference, it’s subtle enough that can’t taste it without a side by side comparison ;) But I don’t have the issue of it being too sweet.

dav_Oz• 4 years ago

I really enjoy blonde roasted single origin 100% Robusta beans (like this Coffea canephora from India [0]) if served with care the deep richness of the flavour is unparalleled. But since I'm quite sensitive to caffeine the rush of a Robusta cofeee can be otherworldly and quite uncomfortable and after my body adapts I can barely feel the hit of the omnipresent Arabica coffees and I'm literally dependent on a Robusta hit to kickstart my day, now. So, I decided some time ago to forgo their excellent taste. As a replacement for their rich taste I found out that some cocoa beans (as 100% chocolate) go extremely well with the smoothness of Ethopian Arabica beans (Yirgacheffe) from my favourite local roast house.

[0]https://onan.be/farms/palthope-estate-india-b-b-chengappa/

FuriouslyAdrift• 4 years ago

Good old Cafe Bustelo regular is 100% robusta. Inexpensive and makes a good brew, especially with some cream as it is more bitter and earthy than what most palates are used to.

Vietnamese coffee is also usually 100% robusta (they grow most of the worlds supply).

Plant of the Month: Robusta Coffee (2021)

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