Robusta Coffee Bean Flavor description Variety planting Development History introduction to Revolutionary production area treatment method

Different growth conditions, different nutrient intake, and different varieties will cause the quality and taste of coffee to be completely different. Coffee trees may vary according to latitude, altitude, sunshine time, soil minerals, temperature difference, fertilization, medication problems and growth cycle, etc., especially in the selection of cultivation environment, orientation, varieties suitable for altitude, abundant temperature difference Rain Water, and prevention of excessive sunshine, we have to consider the best growth conditions of coffee.

Coffee trees are only suitable for planting in the tropics or subtropics. At present, there are three native species of coffee: Arabica, Robusta and Liberica. The origin and characteristics of the coffee are as follows:

Arabica (Arabica)

Originated in Ethiopia, accounting for about 70% of the world's total output, it is a tropical and subtropical high-altitude crop, so it is not resistant to high-temperature, dry, excessive humidity or low-temperature frost, long growing period, strong beans and small grains.

At present, there may be dozens of sub-varieties improved and mated by Arabica tree species, among which Typica is the most famous. Its bean growth type, tiny central membrane, obvious acidity and good flavor are mainly grown in Colombia, Costa Rica and Nicaragua in Central and South America, Ethiopia and Yemen in Africa and other countries.

Robusta (Robusta)

Robusta is a variety found in Congo, Africa. It grows at low altitude, is easy to take care of disease resistance, and is resistant to high temperature, rainy and humid. It has obvious "three high" characteristics: high bitterness, high caffeine and high aroma, but its aroma is slightly mildew. It needs deep baking to suppress the unacceptable mildew smell. After deep baking, Robusta will show a special scorched flavor.

Many people like to use robusta in their coffee, so high bitterness in iced coffee will add sugar and cream, but high caffeine cannot be removed, which may be related to high levels of chlorogenic acid. as a result, many people will have palpitations, discomfort, and poor sleep.

Robusta's main producing countries are mostly in Africa, while Indonesia, Vietnam and other countries, most of the coffee beans are processed into canned coffee and three-in-one coffee to drink.

Liberian card (Liberica)

It is a native species of Liberia in western Africa, which can withstand all kinds of high and low temperature, wet or dry environment, strong fecundity, but poor flavor. Another disadvantage is that it will get leaf rust, so it is difficult to survive in the market, and it is generally used for research. It is more impossible to plant and produce in large quantities.

Liberica coffee beans can use a deeper baking method to cover up their poor flavor, or add cream to enhance the flavor, that is, Malaysian white coffee (Malaysian white coffee is actually two-in-one coffee with cream. If you add sugar, it's three-in-one coffee.

At present, there are more than 100 kinds of coffee in the world, of which two of the most common are Arabica and Robusta/Canephora. These two kinds of coffee are very different in taste, composition and growing conditions. We will compare the differences between them below.

Robusta: cheap, bitter, high caffeine

In contrast, Robusta, which is high in caffeine (1.6-2.4%) and low in fat and sugar, tastes bitter and strong, and some even say it tastes rubber.

Robusta has a high content of chlorogenic acid (7-10%), which is not easy to be affected by insects and climate. It is generally planted at a low altitude, bearing many fruits and fast. The fruit is round.

At present, the largest grower of Robusta is Vietnam, which is also produced in Africa and India.

When the Coffee Dictionary [2] introduced the variety of Arabica, it also mentioned the variety of Robusta, but it seems that there are more negative comments. Obviously all kinds of coffee, is he doomed not to turn over?

Although Robusta is one of the three major varieties of coffee, his chromosome number is different from that of Arabica, so his characteristics are quite different: the same number of coffee beans contain twice as much caffeine as Arabica. It can adapt to the lower altitude and difficult growth environment, and the survival rate is higher than Arabica, so Robusta has always produced the most of the three varieties. And the main flavor is very similar to wheat tea, and the sweetness is low.

The Italians were the first countries to use Robusta. They used this coffee as one of the beans in the formula of espresso (espresso) to increase the crema (coffee fat) and alcohol thickness of the coffee. Because Robusta is cheaper, the more you go to Nanyi, you will find that the more it will be added. Apart from Italy, Vietnam and Malaysia are the most used countries, while in Taiwan, they are mostly used as commercial coffee.

In recent years, there have been a lot of high-quality Robusta on the market, and you can vaguely see that someone is improving this variety, as well as the way it is made. This is because he attended a visiting course at National Chengchi University Cafe three years ago, and Alice himself was impressed by the fact that he had drunk a strong Robusta cup of coffee. Although there is not yet a set of rules to rate Robusta, his boutique is a rise that cannot be ignored.

So as the old saying goes, Alice feels that you must taste it yourself before you can judge whether a good cup of coffee is good or bad, rather than just talking on paper.

At present, there are three kinds of coffee beans in the world:

1. Arabica (Arabica): accounts for about 90% of the world coffee market, the aroma is changeable, it is not easy to grow, and its uses are more popular in the boutique bean market.

two。 Robusta (Robusta): accounts for about 10% of the trade volume, the plant life is strong, the disadvantage is that the smell is very strong, mostly used in commercial beans

3. Liberia (Liberica): almost no circulation, because the smell is flat and it is not easy to grow, so now it is only used as a specimen in the laboratory.

Chemical composition: (Arabica / Robusta) detected by percentage of raw bean content

Polysaccharide: 45 / 49

Monosaccharide: 0.5 / 0.5

Sucrose: 9 / 5

Lipids: 18 / 12

Protein: 13 / 13

Organic acids: 8 / 10

Caffeine: 1.2 / 2.4

Analysis and commentary:

1. In the part of sugar content, we can see that the content of polysaccharides in Robusta is better than that in Arabica.

And the so-called polysaccharides are the lignin fibers of plants, that is to say, "Robbosa beans have more Lignification than Rabica."

Monosaccharide, that is, fructose, is evenly split between the two, so skip it!

In the part of sucrose, the gap between the two is very large. The sucrose content of Arabica beans is almost twice that of Robusta.

And the difference in price takes place here! Because sucrose (disaccharides) will degrade and polymerize in the process of baking.

Some will be converted to acid, and some will react with lipids and proteins.

It turns into a variety of fascinating aromas in the coffee extract, and a larger part is caramelized in the browning reaction.

The most obvious way to tell whether there is a strong caramel aroma is to smell the bottom of the coffee cup.

two。 In the part of fat, Arabica beans also contain more than Robbosa beans, during the baking process.

Some of the lipids will be taken out of the pistil with water and tannic acid, and a thin oil film will be formed on the surface of the ripe bean.

The deeper the beans are baked, the more obvious the oil film will be, and the oil film on the surface will oxidize rapidly in the process of contact with air.

So "want to tell if a bean is fresh?"

Just put your nose close to the coffee and ripe beans and smell it to see if it smells like smelly oil or similar sweet-smelling peanut butter--

3. The protein part is also equally divided, so "skip it too!"

Let's look at the organic acids in coffee. Most of the organic acids in coffee beans are chlorogenic acid (Chlorogenic Acids).

On the other hand, the content of chlorogenic acid in Robusta seems to be higher than that of Arabica beans, which is due to the difference in their growing environment.

Because Robusta plants grow at low elevations, there is a relative increase in diseases and insect pests, so according to the law of survival of the fittest

The Robusta plant also produces a large amount of chlorogenic acid on its own to resist diseases and insect pests.

4. Chlorogenic acid properties: it is the source of acidity in coffee extract, so Robusta tastes more bitter than Arabica.

This is another reason why the price is lost to Arabica.

But fortunately, chlorogenic acid will be degraded by more than 50% in the process of baking, and the deeper the baking, the more degradation.

So "the deeper the roasted coffee beans will be, the less sour they are, that's why!"

In addition, chlorogenic acid is not loved, but it is a powerful antioxidant!

1000cc coffee contains about 1000 mg (about 1 gram) of chlorogenic acid, which is even much higher than green tea.

5. Caffeine, Robusta is nearly twice as much as Arabica, and the right amount of caffeine helps to boost the spirits of drinkers.

However, excessive caffeine will do great harm to the human body, and some people are often afraid to drink coffee because of sleep disorders.

The main reason is that unscrupulous businessmen have increased the proportion of Robusta in order to reduce costs.

So "it's normal that you can't sleep after drinking-- convex.

Summary:

After reading the above explanation, you may still think Arabica is better.

But-- Robusta is an indispensable part of commercial beans! Maybe Asians are not used to these strong-smelling beans.

But for Europeans who like heavy taste, Robusta is a treasure they can't put down!

The reason is that Europeans like to add fresh milk to their coffee.

If only fine beans are used as the material of espresso, the taste is bound to be diluted a lot.

And... "

Espresso with Robusta is the best material to pull flowers!

Because you will find that the crema extracted by it is very thick! The taste will also be very rich!

At present, the largest producer of Robos Tadou is Vietnam.

And in terms of total coffee exports, Vietnam is already the second largest coffee export in the world, after Brazil.

Now, I just want to say, don't use price as the only indicator of the quality of coffee.

Although Robusta is cheap and the smell is not as clean as Arabica, this is not the main reason why it is cheap.

The main reason is that it is so cheap because it is easy to grow and requires low labor cost and risk cost.

Robusta's world-class beans:

1. World-class treasures-civet coffee Kopi Luwak

two。 King of sturdy beans-Royal Indian Water washing Kaapi Royale

3. Italian favorite-Indian style stain Robusta AA Monsooned Robusta AA

The revolution of Robusta species

People always habitually look at things in dichotomy, good and bad, good and evil, good and bad. The same is true in the world of coffee. "Arabica" coffee beans are always classified as "good", while its distant relative "Robusta" coffee beans are often classified as "bad".

Why is Robusta so notorious? Robusta beans, which are round in appearance and look like soybeans at first glance, are also known as thick and strong beans. They have strong resistance to diseases and insect pests, large output and low price. The boutique coffee industry used to have a very poor impression of Robusta because it usually does not have a charming and meticulous flavor. The bigger problem is that because the setting is a low-cost product, most of the planting methods are very rough, resulting in a bad smell. It often smells like dirt, dirt, and sometimes even a smell like charred tires and burning plastic. Ten years ago, I had a chance to taste several cheap Robusta beans in Vietnam. Some of them tasted unforgettable, because they were almost like charred wheat tea seasoned with tires. With the other nine bad flavors, I couldn't help but spit them out. I don't want another sip.

If Robusta beans are so bad, why talk about it? That's a good question! As mentioned at the beginning of this article, everything has its advantages and disadvantages. Good beans take you to heaven, rotten beans let you hang your heart! This is true of Arabica, and Robusta is no exception! In fact, under the tide of boutique coffee in recent years, exquisite robusta beans with high standard treatment have appeared in the world! The representative of boutique India Kappi Royale beans is India's Robusta (Robusta "Kappi Royale" Robusta).

Kappi Royale means "top grade". At present, there are at least four (and growing) private coffee farms in India to grow and produce high-quality "coffee royal" and "Kappi Royale" grade robusta coffee beans according to the standards and procedures of refined Arabica beans! It includes exquisite full water washing treatment and Pulp Natural mucosal drying semi-washing treatment which is popular in recent years. The advent of the "Coffee Royal" grade exquisite Robusta beans has undoubtedly begun to change the world's impression of Robusta! Most people who have drunk it will be surprised by its thick and clean characteristics. Because of its exquisite planting and handling routines, the Royale Robusta flavor is mostly quite clean, without the intrusive flavor of the cheap Robusta (off-flavors). The Robusta is born without the elegant aroma of Arabica beans, replaced by a thicker, calmer taste, as well as strong walnut, peanut, hazelnut and wheat flavors like peanut butter and hazelnut.

India's "Coffee Royal" grade Robusta currently produces very little, but it has begun to attract the attention of the elite of the boutique coffee industry all over the world. David Schumann, an expert in Italian coffee, David C. Schomer's famous Seattle-based Espresso Vivace began adding 14% of the Indian "Royal Coffee" Robusta to its Italian formula beans as early as a decade ago. Paradise Roasters, the national coffee evaluation points champion roaster, took the lead in the North American boutique coffee market, launching a 100% Indian CxR single espresso coffee in 2009 and 2010, and received a Coffee Review rating of 90 and 91 points in 2009 and 2010! It proves that Robusta is not what it used to be!

If you want to ask the country or region that loves Robusta beans most, the first place is Italy, the hometown of espresso! If you narrow it down, to be more precise, the largest use of robusta beans is in southern Italy, such as Palermo, Naples and Sicilia. In fact, in southern Italy, most of the coffee people drink contains a considerable proportion of robusta beans. The content of 30% to 60 is commonplace, and the Robusta content of some formula beans is as high as 80% or even 100%!

Open the table of beans supplied by local wholesalers of raw coffee beans in Italy, and you will see a list of more than a dozen, or even as many as two dozen, raw beans from all over the world, for local coffee roasters to choose from. This phenomenon does not exist in other parts of the world, such as the United States and Canada, Northern Europe, Japan and even Taiwan.

You may wonder why the Italians mix a lot of robusta in Arabica beans. Generally speaking, Italians mix with Robusta in order to increase the Crema content of Espresso. This is only half true, and there is another little-known reason.

It turned out that southern Italy used to be a relatively poor region, where people could only afford cheap coffee, so at first it was mixed with Robusta beans simply to reduce costs. However, after years of massive baking and blending of Robusta, coupled with Italy's natural sensitivity to cooking, they found that Robusta beans have many qualities that Arabica beans do not have. as long as you are familiar with and fully master these qualities, a good cook (coffee roaster) will be able to serve magical dishes (Italian coffee beans). Compared with 44 pairs of chromosomes in Arabica beans, Robbosa beans have only 22 pairs of chromosomes, with caffeine contents of 1.5% and 2.8%, respectively. The two are completely different varieties and cannot be mixed, which explains why there are many complete differences between the two.

Arabica beans are like earthlings, which are easy to see and familiar to us. Rob Tadou is like an alien, although it has the appearance of being close to the people on earth, but it is actually completely different on the inside. Earthlings and aliens have their own advantages and disadvantages, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Although they are different races and cannot marry to have children, through exquisite arrangements, putting them together cleverly to make up for their weaknesses and full cooperation, they will be able to contribute their respective strengths and excite an amazing spark! I was born to be useful. Robusta and Arabica are both gifts from angels, the difference is only in the use of people.