Commercial Blends with Robusta - anyone found a great one?

beanflying

Just got a small bag from a local guy who sells beans he gets contract roasted in Melbourne.

Not roasted to dark unlike some others I have tried in the past. His staple blend has 5% Robusta in it and is one of the better balanced Robusta blends I have had in the last few years. Tutto Caffe Espresso blend for this one.

Another I tried a while back led me to one conclusion that Gravity SUCKS 😛

So a question anyone out there found a great tasting one or any real shockers to avoid?

mycuppa

I think a lot of roasters are somewhat too embarrassed to admit they use robusta given the negative associations with instant coffee and cheap/low-grades. The simple consumer is led to believe from marketing hype that 100% arabica is the only coffee worth drinking. Robusta is not a dirty word and there are a few quality RB around. Some roasters who use it don't do it for the reasons people think (cost), they use it for a specific purpose and outcome. I receive at least 10+ emails a week from people enquiring whether my coffee is really 100% arabica. When I confirm that we don't use robusta, I sometimes receive a reply from them saying......"your lying, all roasters use robusta". Of course, they must have read a 12 year old article on the internet describing something that happens in the US........and surely it must apply here in Australia. To me, this is like a red rag to a bull. I could list quite a few roasters that use RB (and there would be some surprises), but I think it would be unfair to disclose that without their permission. First giveaway is the shape of the bean and a finely tuned palate can generally pickup RB, although 5% may be really pushing the palate detection thing.

beanflying

Not sure if it applies to all Robusta's but I generally can pick that lingering twang on my tongue for a fair while after drinking a coffee with some in it. Certainly can with the current bag. This 100% Arabica thing has most likely done good blends with Robusta a disservice and is a little like RFA, FT it has become a thing to market a product to the gullible masses rather than concentrate on the end result of a better or a different cup. Also maybe the over use of Robustas in the darkly roasted Italian coffees were fairly pungent and off putting to some. Absolutely nothing wrong with a pinch of Good Robusta either 😉

Vinitasse

I do a blend for my cafe customers (Symphoneum 1) that I am very proud of and it contains robusta. The blend has a firm Brazilian backbone provided by a Single Origin 100% yellow bourbon and some tree dried berries as well. To this I add a specialty grade robusta, Indian Kaapi Royale parchment, and this was added to the blend for its contribution to the overall weight and balance and had nothing to do with cost savings. A late picked aged Sumatran and two Ethiopians round out the package and add that hint of elegance and finesse. With this blend the robusta adds oomph and more than a little character as well while contributing to the overall success of the blend.

FreshCoffee2

Trouble is you have to separate the hype from the truth. Jaded reply of the day....the hype usually wins out. In any case there are high and low quality robustas, and there are high and low quality arabica's...which is better, and what is the definition of "better"? Is a 100% arabica blend, made from low quality arabicas, better than a premium blend using some good robusta? Actually the proof is in the cup! I keep a packet of low qual arabica and a pack of good qual robusta to show people. A good quality robusta will cost far more than a low quality arabica, so a good name roaster using robusta is not using robusta to lessen the mix cost, while a crap name roaster may well be AND, even a good name roaster may be using much cheaper ingredients BOTH robusta and arabica to put "price war" blends out there in the competitive market. Really, in the end its up to the clients and what they want out of the coffee... If they want it cheap, someone will roast it for them.....and it will have a mix of BOTH varieties in at the cheaper end of the scale. Rgdz, Attilio very first Crema site sponsor.

beanflying

Nicely put as always Attilio, it is a shame it has made it harder to to place the word Robusta in a blend description without worrying about what the masses will then consider it to be. Time for a pro Robusta campain I reckon 🙂

RichardM

I have hard people throw around the "5% robusta is perfect" a fair few times now, and was thinking - how would that get consistency. I just weighed out 18g of beans, and counted the beans. There were 146 beans in that 18g, so at a 5% density, you would get ~7 robusta beans in the mix. If you were using single shots, you'd get more like 3-4 beans. My question to those who have used robusta is this: if 3 beans per shot can make that much difference, then how is consistency achieved if you get an extra bean or two go into that shot (which would happen often due to not being a perfect homogenous mix)? Obviously this wouldn't affect the lower quality preground coffee suppliers as much, as they can ensure more consistency per spoonful. This is a serious question. I've been thinking about getting some robusta, but I find SO Africans, PNG's and indians seem to pack enough punch for my palate.

mycuppa

RichardM wrote:

I have hard people throw around the "5% robusta is perfect" a fair few times now, and was thinking - how would that get consistency. I just weighed out 18g of beans, and counted the beans. There were 146 beans in that 18g, so at a 5% density, you would get ~7 robusta beans in the mix. If you were using single shots, you'd get more like 3-4 beans. My question to those who have used robusta is this: if 3 beans per shot can make that much difference, then how is consistency achieved if you get an extra bean or two go into that shot (which would happen often due to not being a perfect homogenous mix)? Obviously this wouldn't affect the lower quality preground coffee suppliers as much, as they can ensure more consistency per spoonful. This is a serious question. I've been thinking about getting some robusta, but I find SO Africans, PNG's and indians seem to pack enough punch for my palate.

Robusta does not necessarily add flavor punch. Some refined high grade RB are very smooth and provide great texture to a blend in a similar way to Sumatrans - creating some balance in the blend and a greater mouthfeel. In regard to ratios, RM you are pretty much on the money there - I've found than anything less than 10% (whether it's robusta or arabica) actually disappears in a blend. Nice of you to do the math for us ;D My general rule of thumb for robusta is......if you want pure espresso, add some quality robusta for a more complex and rounded outcome. If you want milk-based, then sticking with quality arabicas can give you more than enough to play with.

Koffee_Kosmo

I have and use sparingly in some of my blends an Indian Monsooned Robusta It is one of the best Robusta beans I have tried and very easy to roast Mind you that as a home roaster I haven't personally roasted a lot of this verital KK

Brett_H

I bought some great Robusta from Bean Grean and gave it to friends as a SO flat white. Both of the commented on how good it was before even knowing it was Robusta. The comment was "wow, this is different but really good." both of them home roast so they aren't total newbs. They had just never tried Robusta to know what it tastes like. I have had lots of crud coffee over the years and these two quality Robustas were certainly not in that basket.

FreshCoffee2

My view on any Robusta Vs 100% Arabica in blends debate is that it is nothing more than an irrelevant side issue in this market. The real issue is educating espresso machine operators properly ie barista education without which in fact, it doesnt matter what a roaster puts in a blend, the end users are unable to "interpret" it and will make a hash of it no matter the contents of the packet. Proper education is the key. Rgdz, Attilio very first Crema site sponsor

RichardM

So thanks to Vinitasse, I will have some Indian Robusta (Kaapi Royale) next week to try out. I will do some experimentation with this bean, and then be able to decide whether robusta is for me or not 🙂

mycuppa

There are some very good RB's around. As per above, the Monsooned Robusta is quite smooth, as are some parchment robustas. I have a bag of Monsooned RB and a bag of Buttercup Bold that is reputed to be one of the best RB's available, roasted a couple of times as a SO........still don't know what to do with them. Every time I go near RB, I taste it and then remind myself why I don't like it. It always seems to take away something when I blend it, rather than add to a blend. But as a roaster who has is focused on preparing coffee for predominantly milk-based beverages, this is all just a personal preference and in no way a statement claiming RB is less of a bean.

askthecoffeeguy

I enjoy creating blends on the fly at my work based upon the single origins I have in stock - and if something really sticks out I notify my roaster and we bag it up!

RichardM

Just got my Indian Robusta and roasted tonight. Will report back as an SO first, then as I do some blends with the leftover (assuming I don't love it as an SO).