C. canephora more commonly known as Robusta, the neglected species which is springing to life.
As 2020 comes to an end and we enter 2021, I would like to share some positive aspects that have excited me in the coffee world over the last 12 months.
In the past few years, I have been fortunate to have tasted, either while cupping or in the form of espresso, some very interesting fine Robusta. For years, we have been singing the praises of Arabica, complementing this species for having complex flavours and sweetness and rightly so. While on the other hand, many of the remarks aimed at our commercial counterpart, Robusta, have often been critical and frequently negative.
In the initial point of my coffee career, I was one of those who spread the good word, that only Arabica was worth drinking and brewing. I even taught this in many of my classes, painting the picture with a wide generic paintbrush, that all Robusta tasted bitter, harsh and lacked any complexity. After all, that was part of my experience, and also how I had been taught. The R word was almost forbidden to be used in the specialty arabica world. Well now I’m going to hold up my hand and say I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Yes, of course there is coffee that has implicitly poor sensory qualities, but this works both ways. It’s not only found in Robusta, but also Arabica. If you look at the lower qualities of both green Arabica and Robusta, you can see that its full of defects in many different forms. Poor picking practises, poor farming techniques, sub-standard processing and sorting, all result in lower grade coffee, which typically will affect the sensory outcome, in both species.
However, if you start to pay attention to quality, in all aspects of the chain, you see an improvement. In the Specialty coffee industry, we have been fortunate to have seen major changes in the Arabica species, with many exciting initiatives being used and tested to improve cup quality. And now we start to see this process being copied around the globe with Robusta.
Recently, I have had the privilege to taste some beautiful Robusta from Ecuador, Mexico, Thailand and Rwanda which have been full of complex flavours, sweet, crisp acidity and as an espresso, a rich, creamy body which many people crave in this style of beverage.
What is different with this coffee is that it has been given a chance to shine. Picking, processing, sorting and keeping data on the methods used has really influenced the outcome in a positive way.
For too long the market has dictated the price, which for long periods of time has been low. What incentive is there for the producer to produce quality coffee if he/she receives such a low premium. We need to follow the model of Arabica, produce quality coffee and let farmers and producers be rewarded fairly for the work that is required to produce a homogenous, quality focused lot. And as roasters, coffee professionals and consumers, we need to give this understated species an opportunity to shine.
By dedicating the same time, effort and research into Robusta as its counterpart Arabica. By guaranteeing homogenous lots, controlling quality through good picking and processing at each step of the process and marketing Robusta with a strong positive image, we can remove the stigma that has long been attached to this species, and give hope to many farmers and producers all around the world.
Hats off to the following for championing this revolution: https://thissideup.coffee: https://www.touton-specialties-coffee.com/?lang=en Christian Enrique Saltos Morales based in Ecuador #masadicoffee, Fuadi Pitsuwan and Kaleb from Gem forest Coffee in Thailand. And finally Weiley and Ueli at http://roestlabor.ch for working so hard to bring fine robusta to the forefront.