The basic knowledge of coffee beans about Robusta coffee beans

"Robusta" coffee, commonly known as "sturdy beans", can be grown at low elevations (200 to 800 meters above sea level), has strong resistance to diseases and insect pests, is not vulnerable to agricultural disasters, has a high annual output per unit area, and is harvested in large quantities by machine. in general, the cost of production is much lower than that of Arabica coffee.

"Robusta" coffee usually has an ordinary, rigid and pungent flavor, and because the vast majority of robusta around the world are grown in low-altitude areas (author's note: as of May 2008, only India has rare high-altitude, high-quality, washed Robusta coffee beans). The flavor produced by different regions and different climates is not very different, relatively lack of personality. When unbaked, it smells like raw peanuts, and the taste of cheap robusta coffee beans is usually between "wheat tea" (light baking) and "rubber tire flavor" (deep roasting). It is difficult to show a meticulous flavor.

Robusta is not absolutely cheap coffee!

Arabica coffee accounts for 75% of the world's coffee production, and its quality varies widely, from good to bad. In recent years, a few countries (such as India) have devoted themselves to improving the quality of robusta coffee. They have planted robusta in high altitude areas, given the most careful care, and carefully washed the coffee. As a result, they get very good quality robusta coffee beans! Top Robusta beans are not cheap either, getting rid of the old impression that Robusta are cheap beans! Therefore, the quality of coffee beans can no longer be judged by the crude and outdated ancient criterion of "Arabica beans".

Asia is the home of robusta coffee. There are six largest exporters of robusta coffee in the world and three in Asia, accounting for 2% and 3% of the world's output. Vietnam, the world's leading exporter of robusta coffee

Robsta species (scientific name Coffee Robusta Linden)

Robusta coffee beans are generally used for instant solution because they extract twice as much coffee liquid as Arabica.

The caffeine content is 3.2%, more than twice that of Arabica, and 1.5% of Arabica.

How to tell the robusta coffee beans?

It's not in the book. I think there are three points worth noting. The first is the size, shape and shape, and the second is the grain in the middle and edge of the bean.

The third is cooked beans. Eat them directly and taste them.

Robusta you don't know (1)

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". We may describe it this way: if Arabica is a gift from angels, Robusta is like the booger of the devil, always despised and spurned by coffee gluttons.

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 Vietnamese robusta beans, some of which were unforgettable because they were like charred wheat tea flavored with tires, and I couldn't help spitting them out with the other nine bad flavors. I don't want another sip.

Wow! 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" Robusta coffee beans with refined Arabica standards and procedures! 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 the exquisite planting and handling procedures, the flavor of the Royal Coffee Robusta 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. Italian coffee expert David Schumann C. Schomer's famous Seattle-based Espresso Vivace began adding 14% of India's "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 100% Indian CxR espresso in 2009, 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!

Incidentally, the price of Robusta is not cheap, even more expensive than many Elaraby beans! So, from now on, please stop saying: Robbins are rotten beans-after all, times have changed! With the emergence and gradual attention of high-quality Robusta, it is bound to cause some chain reactions and changes to the boutique coffee culture (to be continued).

Note: David C.Schomer cancelled the addition of Robusta beans to 100% arabica formula in the second quarter of 2009.

Robusta you don't know (2)

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.

I like to say that 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.