What's the difference between Robusta and Cornell coffee? Introduction of Canephora Coffee varieties

For most people in the coffee industry, robusta coffee is regarded as inferior coffee. It is generally believed that robusta coffee beans produce poor coffee and have a poor flavor. For farmers, it has lower planting costs, higher productivity, higher natural caffeine content, and resistance to drought and disease. As a result, robusta coffee is considered to be a "stuffed" coffee used to mix coffee and instant coffee.

Although this is not entirely incorrect, there are still many misunderstandings about Robusta. One of the biggest problems is that Robusta coffee is not technically a completely different coffee variety, but one of the most widely grown coffee.

What is CANEPHORA coffee?

According to the International Coffee Organization (ICO), canephora accounts for about 35% of the world's total coffee production. It was only planted outside Africa in the 19th century, nearly 300 years after Arab plants left the continent. As a result, little is known about its history, plant background, varieties and varieties compared with Arabica coffee.

Vietnam is the world's largest producer of herbivores, followed by Brazil. Mexico is the only country in Latin America that produces robusta coffee at any significant rate. Other famous producers of herbivores are Ivory Coast, Indonesia, India and Uganda.

Canephora is usually harder than Arabica plants, is more productive as a crop, and its cherries ripen more evenly. It has a high natural caffeine content, so it has a stronger resistance to pests. Although they thrive in tropical climates at high temperatures or low elevations, they can grow canephora plants at altitudes as low as 100 Marsler. They are also more resistant to high temperatures that usually hinder the growth of Arabica coffee plants.

Typically, the world's largest buyers of canephora / robusta are major bakers and manufacturers. They use it in a variety of caffeinated products, including capsules, mixtures and energy drinks. Demand for Robusta is also growing. ICO reported that in the 12 months to May 2020, Arabian coffee exports decreased, while Robusta coffee exports increased.

What's the difference between ROBUSTA and CONILON?

Robusta and conilon are sister plant varieties (subsubspecies) of Coffea canephora species with many characteristics. However, because the variety is more popular around the world, it is usually sold in the form of "robusta".

Robusta originated from conifers in Central African countries such as Ivory Coast and Guinea; scientists call it the "Guinean route". However, Conilon comes from West African countries, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cameroon, and is known as the "Congo line". Both have their own families of wild or cultivated varieties, but most are created in the laboratory.

The conilon variety is called the Congo Line because it is mainly found in the Congo along the Kwillou River. When it arrived in Brazil in the 1910s, "Kwillou" became "conilon" because that's how Brazilians pronounce it.

Conilons will not grow that tall, and the canopy will be larger than robustas. They also mature earlier, have smaller leaves and are more resistant to drought. However, Robusta is more resistant to diseases and insect pests. Conilons has greater genetic variability than robustas, which means that new and old varieties can grow side by side without any trouble.

Usually, both varieties are raised together. Some producers have even planted a hybrid of the two varieties, which has many advantages. In Brazil, for example, some farmers grow a variety of crops that mature at different times. This enables them to effectively plant some continuous harvests.

CANEPHORA hybrid

Because of their synchronous flowering, canephora plants can easily cross with other varieties in the same genetic flora to create new hybrids. However, unlike Arabica coffee, unique crab-eating varieties and hybrids are not known or pursued because little is known about the unique flavor characteristics of the plant. "Unfortunately. Its [personal] sensory properties have not been studied, "said Ted Lingle and Sunalini Menon, authors of Coffee Technology and Science.

Dr. Aymbel é Francisco Almeida is a scientist who has worked with two coffee research institutions in Brazil: the Brazilian National Coffee Research Federation Center (Embrapa) and Incaper. He has studied Canephora for thirty years.

He told me that one of the challenges of canephora hybrids and varieties is that "canephora species have open fertilization", which means that "there are no pure lines like Arabica coffee". This makes it difficult to track the genetic history of a hybrid.

However, some Canephora and Arabica variants contain genetic material from both parents. These are formed by spontaneous hybridization or intentional reproduction. Some examples of such hybrids are Drosophila melanogaster, East Timor Hibrido,Sarchimor and Icatu. Coffee research institutes continue to develop hybrid varieties and varieties in countries such as Brazil, India, Mexico, Honduras and Colombia.

Has the quality improved?

Canephora coffee is commonly used to add strength and caffeine to Arabica coffee mixtures and drinks. "mixing Arabica coffee with premium Canephora brings desirable advantages: increased body and Krima capacity, which is typical of Canephora cups," Aymbire said. He also pointed out that today's consumer choices are not determined by the characteristics of certain species or varieties. On the contrary, people choose coffee according to taste and personal preference.

High-quality robusta coffee is becoming more and more common in the coffee field. Regardless of the variety, the demand for all coffee is increasing, and the quality standard is always high. "in the past 30 years, many changes have taken place in addition to genetics, such as crop management, harvesting and processing," Aymbire said. He told me that nowadays, even the least serious piranha producers have to "wash, peel and pulp coffee" because it is impractical to cultivate without minimum quality standards.

However, the growing focus on quality also poses challenges. For example, high-quality crabs usually need to be harvested manually. Mechanized harvesting can damage cherries, and many canephora plants have multiple stems, which means that machines are not always the best choice.

The growth of boutique CANEPHORA coffee

Some producers have found that in the process of growing and processing robusta coffee, like specialty Arabica, they can produce strong and delicious cups. These coffees can have high acidity, medium sweetness and low bitterness. The potential cup shape of an elaborate and roasted Canephora is full-bodied coffee with a long finish, medium acidity and bitterness. Some people even describe coffee with aromas of spices, flowers and fruits, including melons, walnuts, nutmeg and cocoa.

Canephora can be processed, dried and fermented in the same way as Arabica coffee, but because the fruit has different characteristics, the timing of each step will be different. It also needs to be baked in different ways because avocado cherries have much lower sugar content, less acid, and a hard, "flat" structure.

In 2010, the Coffee quality Institute launched the formal Q Robusta program, which focuses on the quality grading of robusta coffee. It is adapted from the Arabica coffee method of the Professional Coffee Association. Since 2018, the Brazilian Special Coffee Association has also accepted the participation of canephora producers and held the annual Canephora Excellence Award.

Robusta, a specialty produced in the Amazon region of Rhondo, Brazil, will be the first product in the world to receive geographical indications (GI). This means that coffee has been officially recognized with certain qualities unique to its country of origin. In addition to Brazil, high-quality piranha are also produced in other countries (including Ghana, Ecuador, the Philippines, India and Thailand).

The Future of CANEPHORA

World Coffee Research and ICO have been developing research plans and studies to determine the quality potential of canephora. These measures are aimed at "changing the basic assumption that the quality of robusta coffee is bound to be low". Climate change and its impact on Arabian plants mean that Robusta has a bright future, and Robusta is a natural plant.

The latest experiments and studies conducted by Embrapa also show that certain species of crabs can grow strong at different elevations and climates. This will expand the areas in which it can be planted. Canephora genetic material can be adapted to survive at altitudes of 500 to 1500 massl; it has also been shown that colder climates at certain heights can improve fruit quality and produce sweeter and larger cherries. Similar projects in India have also yielded successful results.

Demand for candlesticks outside the coffee industry is also likely to increase. The high content of natural caffeine in Canephora makes it suitable for cosmetics, dietary supplements, isotonic agents and energy drinks.

Canephora and Arabica plants produce incredibly different coffees with a variety of cup properties and flavor characteristics. Many in Robusta's field of expertise believe that this is the biggest obstacle to its success.

A variety of researchers and producers are investigating the quality potential of different crab-eating subspecies. Some people are already testing them to increase the yield of their Arabica crops or their resistance to diseases and insect pests.