The Underdog Coffee Bean That Java Snobs Hate Is Finally Getting Some Respect

https://www.wsj.com/articles/robusta-coffee-bean-bitter-revival-arabica-11675867793

by impish9208 • 3 years ago

25 28 3 years ago

wsj.com

impish9208• 3 years ago

https://archive.is/Ijsa0

jimbo9991• 3 years ago

If aybody has tried Robusta (and you knew you were drinking it) please give us your report.

WheelsAtLarge• 3 years ago

I love Trung Nguyen coffee, a Vietnamese Coffee that's a mixture of Robusta and Arabica. It has a natural chocolate like flavor that's delicious. It used to be very inexpensive but it has more than double in price over the last few years. I suspect it's popularity has picked up and the importers have increased the price accordingly.

The bitterness is not as bad as people may think. I'm one that does not mind it.

I recommend it 100%.

aquarium872• 3 years ago

That was the expensive stuff when I was there about 8 years ago, and it still barely passed the test for drinkable.

I understand why the people drink their coffee like a strong espresso with equal parts sweetened condensed milk.

xupybd2• 3 years ago

That's my morning coffee. I love the stuff. I'd highly recommend it as well.

I've yet to find a good source of beans but the G7 instant does the trick for me.

When my dad had cancer it was one of the few things he could taste while on chemo so he used to have it with his Ensure drinks.

realaether• 3 years ago

Is "Trung Nguyen" the same company as "Trung Nguyen Legend"? Dropped by their cafe in Hanoi (old quarter) and loved the no. 5 blend (at least I think that's what I got — memory is fuzzy).

Extremely fragrant Torrefacto-style roasting. Chocolate, butter, caramel notes. I had it black there — no condensed milk or sugar — and bought a bag to brew in the Aeropress at home, also to drink black.

There is almost no complexity in the cup — it's just a very comforting, full-bodied chocolatey flavour. Enjoyable in its own way.

unmole2• 3 years ago

South Indian filter coffee made with Robusta is my usual drink. To me that is what coffee should taste like. Vietnamese coffee is very similar, right down to the brewing apparatus.

washadjeffmad• 3 years ago

We do the same. I haven't tried Robusta, so I'll take that as a recommendation.

Is Vietnamese coffee blended (eg- with chicory) like madras coffee?

brandonmenc• 3 years ago

I have been drinking Lavazza Crema e Gusto which is like 70% robusta out of a moka pot for years. It’s my favorite coffee.

zoom66282• 3 years ago

Second that. Also buy it now and then and brew in moka pot. Superb taste.

trynewideas• 3 years ago

An average Ecuadorean robusta is better than most Vietnamese robustas. Suedhang, the German boutique cafe quoted in the story, has only Ecuadorean and Indian robusta in stock (as canephora, its scientific name), and the Indian variety is only available in a Robusta/Arabica espresso blend, like the one the Boston-based roaster at the end of the article mentions not hating.[1][2]

Couldn't speak to Black Sheep Coffee, which is a UK chain and is only opening its first US location in Dallas this week. Despite promoting robusta's higher caffeine content, it also doesn't sell a caffeinated Vietnamese robusta, only from "southern India, Papua New Guinea, Brazil".[3] Despite the founder's dislike of Arabica, Black Sheep also serves it.[4] Only two of their five beans for shipping are robusta; one's a light/medium roast from India suggested only for espresso, and the other—which is from Vietnam—is decaf.[5]

tl;dr: If you can get an Ecuadorian or Indian light roast robusta/canephora, it probably won't be terrible. Or you can just get a local roaster's average-quality bean and not worry about it.

1: https://www.suedhang.org/en/product/chakra-warmi-en/

2: https://www.suedhang.org/en/product/cuerpo/

3: https://dallas.culturemap.com/news/restaurants-bars/black-sh...

4: https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/black-sheep-coffee-lo...

5: https://leavetheherdbehind.com/collections/all/beans

tincholio2• 3 years ago

I typically use a 30/70 blend (30% arabica, 70% robusta) from an artisanal roaster in Helsinki for my espresso. It's the cheapest one they have, but for espresso (and derived drinks), it's by far the best, imo. It's the same style of espresso you get in Italy.

euroderf• 3 years ago

Care to name the roaster ? I'm game for new espresso.

musicale• 3 years ago

WSJ is becoming indistinguishable from BuzzFeed.

robotmaxtron• 3 years ago

No surprise some of the largest producers are trying to find ways to increase profits by blending beans that are cheaper and don't taste as good.

Support your local coffee roaster.

btown• 3 years ago

IMO the underdog bean most deserving of more respect is https://thedailywtf.com/articles/the_brillant_paula_bean

aquarium872• 3 years ago

This was always the problem with Vietnam, they grew shit coffee because they had nothing, and something is better than nothing.

I was there 8 years ago, and the coffee is absolute crap, even the premium stuff with a fancy hotel.and branding.

When I was there, the landmass had been almost filled with coffee where applicable. It led to lots of income, but efforts were underway to provide loans and education on how to grow better Coffee to utilize the same amount of land, same amount of production, but get more money out of said grown Coffee.

Perhaps this article is an acknowledgement of the hard work of the people of Vietnam to produce more valuable coffee from their land.

I can't say. I can only say it used to be absolutely horrendous, to the point that "Mixto" was a thing. Producers would roast with corn syrup and other stuff to try to make a better coffee bean. The beans really really were that bad.

silisili• 3 years ago

That's what I immediately thought of also. Oddly enough, I was just talking about the Kentucky Coffeetree this week and found this quote on its wiki, which seems apt -

When Kentucky was first settled by the adventurous pioneers from the Atlantic states who commenced their career in the primeval wilderness, almost without the necessaries of life, except as they produced them from the fertile soil, they fancied that they had discovered a substitute for coffee in the seeds of this tree; and accordingly the name of coffee-tree was bestowed upon it. But when communication was established with the sea-ports, they gladly relinquished their Kentucky beverage for the more grateful flavor of the Indian berry; and no use is at present made of it in that manner.

xupybd2• 3 years ago

My morning coffee is Vietnamese instant. I pay a premium to get it here in NZ. I don't know why but the taste of Robusta grew on me. I can't get enough of it. My last time over there the resort had a huge spread of breakfast but I normally just had a coffee and a donut. I loved the taste.

I can see why people would hate it after getting used to western coffee.

Maybe it has improved? I was last there just before Covid.

Also when I was last there I had an egg coffee the beans in that could not have been local. It tasted just like a good espresso from NZ. Maybe they're starting to move toward more western flavors?

zoom66282• 3 years ago

Was on biz trip to Vietnam in late 2017. Went to specialist local coffee shop and the brew was fantastic. Had the kick of an angry mule and a really rich flavour. FTR I don’t like drip or perc coffee and outside of specialist coffee houses the general North American and European black water (laughingly called “americano” so I’m not sure who created this label but they were trying to insult Americans, italians and coffee drinkers all in one go) is not to my taste.

Yes Vietnam is mainstay of the global instant coffee supply but they do have some good robusta. And if you aren’t convinced go visit Sumatra where robusta also grown and have a local brew. To die for.

knifepatrol• 3 years ago

Americano was named for American soldiers stationed in Italy during WWII who didn’t like the taste of full strength espresso, so they would water it down.

yuppie_scum• 3 years ago

I feel like if George Howell hates it, I might like it. I’ve never been big on fruity coffees, i a, more into dark roasts and other more earthy flavors.

SantalBlush• 3 years ago

Have you ever tried Monsoon Malabar coffee?[0] Basically all the acidity is washed out of the beans, leaving a mellow, earthy flavor. It's pretty good.

[0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsooned_Malabar

jazzman11112• 3 years ago

Don't listen to me, take it from coffee expert Jordan Schlansky that robusta deserves a seat at the table: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVDOB9mby_w

jazzman11112• 3 years ago

don't take it from me, coffee expert Jordan Schlansky saying robusta should have a seat at the table: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVDOB9mby_w

The Underdog Coffee Bean That Java Snobs Hate Is Finally Getting Some Respect

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