According to the origin of Robusta coffee, does Robusta have any boutique coffee?

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Take a sip of 100% Robusta coffee and you will immediately know that it tastes astringent and terrible. It emits a smell called "Luobu", similar to the smell of burnt wheat, not only with a strong bitter taste, but also with a fishy smell and moldy smell. Therefore, it is not difficult to understand why it is used as an "increment" in canned coffee, instant coffee and poor-quality ordinary coffee.

Robusta was once rated as "worse than the lowest Brazilian Santos coffee". Although it can't be drunk directly, it will have a corresponding effect if mixed with Arabica. Although the sour and sweet taste is inferior to Arabica, its high concentration and strong bitterness are indispensable varieties of coffee for the above-mentioned industries. Moreover, Robusta also has strong disease resistance. It is highly resistant to leaf rust, the archenemy of coffee.

On the contrary, although Arabica has a good taste and aroma, it is weak in resistance to frost, diseases and insect pests. Airborne leaf rust once raged in India and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), causing devastating disasters. This is why India and Ceylon have changed from big coffee producers to black tea kingdoms.

Brazil is also a major producer of Robusta.

In the past 40 years, I have never used Robusta. In the past, in some professional books written for cafes and western restaurants, I seriously suggested adding a certain percentage of Robusta to the production of mixed coffee. It not only increases the concentration and thickness of alcohol, but also suppresses costs, so as a "role in price adjustment", Robusta has always been regarded as a treasure.

Although I have never used Robusta, I think a mixture ratio of 10% to 15% should be the maximum limit if it is used for mixed coffee. If the limit is exceeded, it is easy to damage the taste and flavor. Perhaps it was because the refining technology at that time was not yet mature and sometimes produced excessive astringency and bitterness of Robusta.

Although it ushered in the "100% Arabica era" soon after, iced coffee and others still rely on Robusta. Because, if you do not use Robusta, it will not have the authentic color and bitter taste of coffee. Even so, I stick to 100% Arabica. To be honest, it bothers me when it comes to making iced coffee.

Robusta accounts for 30% to 40% of the world's coffee bean production, and its main producing countries are Vietnam, Indonesia and C ô te d'Ivoire. By the way, don't forget Brazil. In recent years, Brazil has been committed to the production of Robusta, which accounts for 30% of the total production. Unexpectedly, Brazil has become a major producer competing with Vietnam for the first place.

By the way, have you ever had Vietnamese coffee? It is called Vietnamese-style Olei coffee, thick and sweet, with a taste like licking coffee sugar. This coffee only uses Robusta, which is made in Vietnam, and a large amount of condensed milk is added to cover its strong bitterness. It is an imitation of Ole Coffee from the old Suzerain France.

In the words of Mr. Danbu, in countries such as France and Italy, people like deep-roasted coffee with milk because they are nostalgic for that colonial era, good or bad.

"countries such as Vietnam and C ô te d'Ivoire were once colonies of France, when coffee (mainly Robusta) was grown and served to countries such as France and Italy," Mr. Danbe said. If deep baking is used, the 'Luobu flavor' will be alleviated more or less. Therefore, the method that people think of is deep baking, which is called French baking and Italian baking. Mix it with milk to make Ole coffee or latte. Use milk to further soften the taste of Luobu. "

Robusta boutique coffee

In advance, Mr. Danbu and I have never belittled "Robusta" or regarded the disease-resistant variety of Robsta and Arabica as low quality, but its unique taste as "personality".

As a matter of fact, competitions and auctions are also held in countries such as India and Indonesia to select "boutique coffee" in the Robbins Tower. What is active on this stage is not Q (Quality Gradiy), but R (Robusta Gradiy, Robusta). Incidentally, Q Review is a coffee bean appraiser approved by the American Fine Coffee Association (SCAA), and its Robusta version is R Review.

Above, the two major varieties of coffee are described, and here, the Liberian species are also briefly introduced. It is sold only in some West African countries (Liberia) and has little circulation on the market. But historically, this variety has been juxtaposed with Robusta and Arabica, three of which are called the "three original species" of coffee.

Recently, Liberian coffee from the Philippines and Malaysia began to appear on the market in Japan. There are two opinions of pros and cons in taste evaluation, which can be said to be a kind of personality coffee.

But did you know that Arabica comes from Robusta? According to genetic analysis, it is known that Arabica is a variety produced by accidental hybridization between Robsta and Okinoides. Although the words are not pleasant to hear, it is indeed "a Phoenix comes out of a raven's nest".