What is Robusta?
Robusta is coffee's other mainstream species (Coffea canephora): tougher, higher-yielding, roughly double the caffeine, and built for heat and low . Its cup is bold and bitter with a woody, peanutty edge — ideal for espresso blends and instant, rarely for specialty.
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Robusta evolved in central and western Africa's hot lowlands, so unlike delicate arabica it tolerates heat, pests (its caffeine is literally a pesticide) and disease — hence the name. Caffeine content near 2.2-2.7% (vs arabica's ~1.2-1.5%) plus more chlorogenic acids produce the harsher profile. But 'robusta' is a category unfairly defined by its floor: fine robusta — from Vietnam, India's monsooned lots, or Uganda's specialty programs — can be sweet, chocolaty and -rich; Italy's espresso tradition has always leaned on it for body and a firm bite. Most premium robusta goes to espresso blends and instant coffee. Species trivia worth knowing: 'robusta' is technically one variety of Coffea canephora — the species is canephora, robusta is the name we gave the variety and kept.
- ·World Coffee Research(No direct source link provided)
- ·International Coffee Organization(No direct source link provided)