Robusta, one of the most important coffee tree varieties in the world.

Robusta (Coffee Robusta Linden). A leaf rust tolerant variety found in Congo, Africa, is more resistant than Arabica varieties. In the general coffee market, many people like to compare Robusta and Arabica coffee beans, which is incorrect. In fact, Robusta species is a mutant of Coffee Canephora, which is comparable to Arabica. Today, however, the Robusta species is commonly used without being known as a variant of the Congo species.

Arabica coffee beans grow at higher elevations in the tropics, where it is cooler. The lower elevations, where Arabica beans do not grow, are the home of Robusta. Robusta is planted in lowlands at an altitude of 200-600 meters, likes warm climate, requires temperature of 24 - 29℃, and does not require high rainfall, but the variety depends on insects or wind to transmit pollen, so coffee takes 9-11 months from pollination to fruit, which is longer than Arabica.

Robusta beans can have a distinctive aroma (known as "rob", some people mainly as a musty smell) and bitterness, if mixed with other coffee at a ratio of 2-3%, the entire cup of coffee becomes rob flavor (therefore, Robusta beans are not allowed to drink as single coffee beans). Its flavor is as bright as some strong, but if you want to taste it directly, I am afraid you have to be mentally prepared. Robusta coffee is generally used in industrial coffee production such as instant coffee (which produces about twice the amount of coffee extracted from Arabica), canned coffee, and liquid coffee. The caffeine content is much higher than that of Arabica, which is about 3.2%.

Robusta's coffee tree is a kind of tree between shrubs and tall trees, long leaves, bright green color, trees up to 10 meters tall, but the roots are very shallow, fruit is slightly rounder than Arabica coffee fruit, beans are flat round, the center pit is straight.

Robusta seeds account for 25 -35% of coffee bean production, and their main producing country is Indonesia (One of its coffee beans is a water-washed coffee bean, a hybrid of Robusta and Arabica, the only coffee bean that can be drunk as a single product in the Chinese market), Vietnam, Africa,(West African countries centered on Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Angola), Vietnam has devoted more attention to coffee production in recent years and included it in national policies (Vietnam also produces a small amount of Arabica coffee beans).

What you don't know about Robusta

People are used to seeing things in dichotomies, good and bad, good and evil, good and bad... even in the coffee world. Arabica coffee beans are always classified as "good" and their distant relatives, Robusta coffee beans, are often classified as "bad". If Arabica is an angel's gift, Robusta is like the devil's booger, always despised and spurned by coffee drinkers.

Why is Robusta notorious? Robusta beans, which are round in appearance and look like soybeans at first glance, are also known as stout beans. They have strong disease resistance, large yield and low price. Robusta has always been viewed poorly in the boutique coffee world because it usually lacks the charming nuance of flavor. The bigger problem is that because the setting is a low-priced product, the planting treatment method is mostly extremely rough, resulting in defects and smells. It often has an earthy, dirty smell, and sometimes even a smell similar to burned tires and burning plastic. Ten years ago I had the opportunity to taste several cheap Vietnamese Robusta beans, some of which were memorable because they were like burnt wheat tea with tire seasoning, along with nine other flaws that made me vomit and never want to drink again.

Wow! If Robusta beans suck, why talk about them? Good question! As mentioned at the beginning of this article, everything has good and bad. Good beans take you to heaven, bad beans make you happy! Arabica is like this, and Robusta is no exception! In fact, under the wave of fine coffee in recent years, there have been refined Robusta beans processed with high specifications in the world! The representative of the fine grade Robusta beans, the first to promote India's "coffee royal" grade Robusta (India "Kappi Royale" Robusta).

Kappi Royale means "Top Grade" and there are at least four (and growing) private coffee estates in India that are growing to produce high quality "Coffee Royale""Kappi Royale" Robusta coffee beans to the standard and process of fine Arabica beans! It includes delicate full washing treatment and Pulp Natural membrane drying method half washing treatment popular in recent years. The arrival of the "Coffee Royal" grade of refined Robusta beans undoubtedly began to change the world's impression of Robusta! Anyone who drinks it will be surprised by its thick and clean characteristics, because of the delicate planting and processing procedures, the flavor performance of the "coffee royal" grade Robusta is mostly quite clean, without the annoying off-flavors of the cheap grade Robusta. Robusta naturally lacks the airy aromas of Arabica beans, but instead has a thicker, calmer texture and intense walnut, peanut, hazelnut and wheat flavors that resemble peanut butter and hazelnut jelly.

India's "Coffee Royal" grade Robusta is currently producing very little, but it has begun to attract the attention of the elite of the world's fine coffee industry. Italian coffee expert David Schumann David C. Schomer's Espresso Vivace in Seattle, USA, started adding 14% Indian "Coffee Royal" Robusta to its espresso beans a decade ago; Paradise Roasters, the national coffee rating champion, pioneered the North American specialty coffee market by launching a 100% Indian CxR single espresso in 2009, which received 90 and 91 points from Coffee Review in 2009 and 2010! Prove that Robusta is not what he used to be!

By the way, Indian "Coffee Royal" grade Robusta is not cheap, even more expensive than many Arabica beans! So, from now on, please stop saying: Robusta beans are rotten beans-after all, times are different! With the emergence and gradual attention of high-quality Robusta, it is bound to cause some chain reactions and changes to the fine coffee culture (to be continued).

Note: David C.Schomer removed Robusta beans in the second quarter of 2009 and replaced them with a 100% arabica formulation.

If you ask the world's most beloved Robusta bean country or region, the first place is the hometown of espresso coffee "Italy"! If you narrow it down further, to be more precise, the largest amount of Robusta beans is used 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. 30 to 60 percent is common, and some formula beans contain as much as 80 or even 100 percent Robusta!

Open up the list of beans supplied by local Italian green coffee wholesalers and you will see a list of dozens or even more than two dozen varieties of Robusta green beans from coffee producing areas around 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, and it is incredible.

You may wonder why the Italians mix so much Robusta into Arabica beans. The common saying is that Italians mix Robusta in order to increase the Crema content of Espresso.

This statement is only half true, and there is another little-known reason.

It turned out that southern Italy used to be a poorer region, and people could only afford cheap coffee, so Robusta beans were mixed in at first, simply to reduce costs. However, after years of roasting and blending Robusta in large quantities, coupled with the Italians 'natural sensitivity to cooking, they discovered that Robusta beans have many characteristics that Arabica beans do not have. As long as they are familiar with and fully master these characteristics, a good chef (coffee roaster) can serve dishes with magic (Italian coffee beans). Robusta beans have only 22 pairs of chromosomes compared to Arabica beans, which have 44 pairs of chromosomes, and caffeine content of 1.5% and 2.8% respectively.

I like the analogy. Arabica beans are like earthlings. We're easy to see and familiar with. Robusta beans are like aliens. Although they have the appearance of Earthlings, they are actually completely different inside. Earthlings and aliens have their own advantages and disadvantages, each good at winning the field, although they are different races, can not marry and have children, but through the delicate arrangement of the fruit, put them together cleverly cut off, full cooperation, can contribute their own strengths, stir up a surprising spark!

I was born useful. Robusta and Arabica are gifts from angels. The difference is only in those who use them.

Robusta Adventure Test

Business is closely linked to real life. Empathy can be activated if you take the time to reach out. Empathy gives decision makers the contextual resources they need to see the hidden dangers behind their decisions; it makes abstract data real and direct; and it gives you practical experience in testing the accuracy of your maps.

Tasting gourmet coffee is thought to be a recent novelty in America, but it is far from the truth. In the 1950s, you could get a good cup of coffee for five cents. America is a nation addicted to coffee. But just when demand for coffee was booming, there was a big problem with its supply. At the end of June 1953, a frost swept through, destroying coffee growing areas throughout Brazil and raising coffee prices overall. After what became known as the Fourth of July frost, the price of a cup of coffee soared to 10 cents, and some of the largest coffee roasters in the United States, such as Maxwell House, Folgers and Hills Bros, sold coffee for more. For a while, coffee was in short supply.

It's impossible to get coffee aficionados to stop drinking coffee every day. Coffee prices have angered Americans. Consumers have been protesting in coffee shops and writing angry letters to coffee company executives. Governments and media accused Latin American governments of artificially restricting coffee exports in an attempt to destroy the U.S. market. The coffee supply problem facing American Coffee has turned into a public relations crisis. Coffee companies realized they had to slash prices or risk coffee falling out of favor in the United States. Desperate, they made an incredible decision: to bring in Robusta.

There are many varieties of coffee beans, the most representative of which are two Arabica and Robusta. Arabica has a slightly bitter taste and a smooth texture. Order a cup and taste slowly. The nutty aroma in your mouth is varied and fragrant, which makes people intoxicated. But American Coffee found that Arabica trees are expensive to grow and vulnerable to weather and pests. One year it was a bumper harvest, and the next year it could cost you nothing. After the 1953 frost, coffee companies mostly realized that Arabica was too fragile to be preferred in the long run. They need to find a more reliable coffee bean. Robusta coffee beans are cheap, not affected by many factors such as climate, and have a high yield, but the taste of coffee made with it is not flattering. For decades, some large coffee makers in the United States have refused to use Robusta beans as an ingredient in their coffee. Now that Arabica supplies are dwindling, Maxwell executives are rethinking their strategy. They figured it might be possible to mix some Robusta into the ingredients without spoiling Maxwell's coffee flavor. If successful, the blend will be much cheaper than pure arabica.

It's important to keep the amount of Robusta in coffee blends as low as possible so people don't notice this unwanted additive. To make sure this cost-cutting approach doesn't drive away customers, Maxwell ran a sensory test. Participants were asked to taste traditional Maxwell coffee and blended coffee together and then compare them. As a result, few people can tell the difference. The company decided to adopt this new hybrid recipe. By adding Robusta to its coffee, Maxwell was able to lower its selling prices when competitors had to raise prices. The company's Robusta venture soon proved a huge success. Consumers largely failed to notice the change in coffee taste, and the addition of Robusta also lowered coffee prices. Other coffee companies soon followed suit. No one complains about it.

Maxwell retained the company's short-term profits, but it did not solve the long-term problems plaguing the coffee industry. Demand for coffee will continue to rise, while Arabica beans remain in short supply. The following year, margin pressures forced Maxwell executives to reconsider changing the mix of products. In Maxwell's initial trial, consumers didn't notice Robusta was added to the blend. If the content of this ingredient is slightly increased, will the customer find it? There was only one way to find out. The company conducted a second sensory test. Thankfully, the results of this test are still satisfactory. After slightly increasing the amount of Robusta, the subjects still did not taste any difference in the coffee.

Maxwell had been following this approach for years, but the growing demand for coffee put pressure on the company's bottom line. Year after year, Maxwell, Forges and Hills Brothers increase the amount of Robusta in their coffee without consumers noticing. Each year, coffee makers experiment with consumers to make sure the "upgraded formula" meets the tastes of the public. In fact, they did. In the short term, this fact-based approach does guarantee profits, and consumers don't immediately notice the change. These companies are right to experiment before launching products, guaranteeing performance and profits. But there is a danger behind the data.

In 1964, coffee sales declined for the first time in American history. At first, companies didn't know what was going on. The results showed that long-term coffee drinkers were satisfied with their product. But that doesn't tell the whole story. Coffee drinkers are not getting younger. All healthy businesses need to attract younger consumers to replace older ones. But in the coffee industry, this shift has not occurred. Robusta, which is increasing slightly each year in coffee blends, accounts for a large proportion of this ingredient in recent generations. If you haven't been drinking coffee for years, you'll find it hard to swallow a product with a high content of Robusta. If you've never had coffee before, a cup of coffee like this can make you miserable and affect your mood throughout the day. Young people in particular can't understand why their parents are so obsessed with this awful coffee. Coffee sales are declining as Coke and Pepsi encroach on the beverage market. The coffee industry has gradually become a low-growth, low-yield industry. Since key consumer groups have always trusted their products, coffee company executives speculate that young people are simply attracted to the fancy packaging and advertising of beverage companies. As a result, big coffee companies began to push aggressively into these emerging markets, but their efforts didn't work.

It is important to note here that coffee companies rely on good maps to make decisions. Marketers keep a close eye on consumers, but multiple surveys show that people are increasingly reluctant to pay for coffee. Multiple trials also showed that coffee drinkers could not distinguish between existing blends and coffee with more Robusta added. These tests ignore the obvious fact that coffee with each change in composition tastes bad on its own. Nor does it mean that consumers will be more willing to pay more for better coffee if the coffee company allows it. This further illustrates that maps are not maps.

For decades, coffee companies focused on reducing costs and increasing Robusta content until the presence of one person changed the rules of the game. It turns out that the demand for high-quality Arabica coffee has never declined. In the small cafes that are widely distributed in downtown and university towns, people still crave a good cup of coffee. The coffee industry remained in the same state until a man named Howard? Young entrepreneurs from Howard Schultz visited Italy in the early 1980s and discovered the business model of coffee bars there before seeing the dawn of the coffee industry. If merchants clearly classify the quality of coffee, people are willing to spend more money on good coffee. When he returned to the United States, Schultz affirmed one thing: the "map" was wrong. At Starbucks, his new coffee chain, Schultz focused on selling freshly made high-quality coffee. He brought a whole new experience to his customers. Gradually, his success promoted the coffee industry in the United States and made it a great leap forward. Since the 1990s, most coffee companies have resumed selling pure Arabica coffee. A new generation of coffee enthusiasts have emerged, who love coffee as much as their parents did.

The experience of American coffee companies highlights the challenges that every large company faces when dealing with simplified information. The entire coffee industry is betting its future on abstract data from a consumer test. Because the test results are satisfactory, the method of adding Robusta to high-quality blended coffee is unquestionable. Companies have always focused on existing coffee enthusiasts, unwittingly leading themselves into a desperate situation. Every person in charge of the company involved knew that their product tasted terrible, but because the test results showed that the public was not aware of the change, they became unscrupulous, and the taste of the coffee became worse and worse. Due to the lack of real empathy, the executives of the coffee industry lost touch with their customers and fell into the trap of an "attractive map".

Policy makers in a variety of industries often find that they are using simplified information and are seriously out of touch with reality. They always handle affairs according to some abstract concepts and have no first-hand experience at all. In many cases, the lack of contact with customers forces them to believe in worthless authority. Using intuition to connect with others can help you overcome these challenges. Establishing empathy with customers can make abstract information more informed and real-time, because it is already connected to the real people you are familiar with. Empathy enables you to jump out of the map and get more practical and specific information. Over time, this connection with others will give you a first-hand experience of the real situation, which is a necessary condition for enterprises to find new development opportunities. Sometimes empathy can even help a company avoid bankruptcy crisis.