Why drink robusta?
There's no question arabica coffee is an intoxicating marvel that continues to amaze us with ever more interesting flavours and possibilities. And yet, arabica is under immense pressure from climate change and may well disappear from many places on earth. At the same time, there ARE other coffee plants with flavours that arabica doesn't often show us.
This is only one reason we think it's worth selling (and sampling) robusta, and why we've just launched our first two robusta options.
Robusta is of course the other main coffee species consumed by humans (even though we know about at least 131 additional species). Within specialty coffee circles, robusta has long been tagged as cheap, bitter, and commercial, most often present in instant coffee or supermarket blends. We think that's reductive and short sighted, and here's why:
Sustainable farming requires diversity.
No plant-growing operation is truly sustainable unless it meshes with an ecosystem, and ecosystems are complex webs of living things. So, if you want to grow crops with resilience, it's generally better to grow different things together and different species of the same crop.
This strategy is now called 'regenerative' or 'ecological,' and it means that when one crop suffers another can thrive, especially as weather patterns change. Of course, coffee farmers around the world are discovering that it also makes sense to grow things other than coffee for broader overall resilience. When all your eggs are in one basket, changing prices, labour shortages, political problems, and many other issues can make or break a producer.
In addition, not all farms can situate themselves on a mountain or slope ideal for the warm days and cool nights required of arabica. From a farmer's perspective, arabica is definitely fussier to grow, often wilting under pressure from pests, diseases, and odd weather while yielding less total coffee that itself contains less caffeine. Robusta can grow in many flatter, low-altitude places arabica can't, increasing options for more people.
Robusta can be interesting and tasty.
Our robustas from Kerehaklu (a remarkably diverse farm in India) DO taste like a different species. There's much less fruity acid here, and much more of an overall nutty/popcorn vibe. With a tweak in brewing treatment, they can be enjoyable coffees in a whole new way. (Some of our staff like them more than others.)
We recommend letting the roasted beans rest longer (say, three weeks) and brewing them with cooler water (say, 82C). This brings out the sweeter side of things, and what you find might be something like creamy cashews, marzipan, a Snickers bar, etc.
It's also worth noting that 'preferred' coffee flavours have long been dictated by white, consuming people at the expense of cultures in the Southern hemisphere. We simply can't say what's 'good' with smug certainty, and have been gatekeeping coffee quality for too long already.
Some people actually prefer robusta flavours.
We regularly meet people who just don't like the fruit-forward coffees common in specialty today. They often look at us like we're mad when we rhapsodise about acidity or complexity in arabica coffees.
Ever see 'Twin Peaks'? There is something hugely comforting about simple coffees with a toasted, nutty character for many people in the Northern hemisphere, just like many people in the global South fundamentally enjoy coffee's more bitter elements, and some prefer spices or a heavy bit of dairy added.
Coffee that's a bit less complicated, like a morning slice of toast, is attractive for many legitimate reasons.
Hybrids might be the future.
Over time (in an effort to avoid various blights and problems) arabica plants have been cross-bred with robusta plants. This first happened naturally and spontaneously in the case of the Timor Hybrid around 1920. Since then, that hybrid has been selectively crossed with caturra and other varietals to make catimors.
In India, where coffee has been grown since the late 17th Century, there is not only arabica, robusta and a third species called excelsa, there are also several Indian varietals that trace their genetics to combinations of the three. This adaptation means that these options have (a) unique flavour profiles and (b) many years of adaptation to their environment, which also tends to mean more resilient plants.
So yes, in theory we could soon see the best of both worlds. Or perhaps you could just choose what to drink based on your mood and preferences. We're pleased to now offer an even broader range of options.