Robusta tree flowering in India. Courtesy Kenneth Davids
Espresso Evaluate readers are likely conscious of considered one of American specialty espresso’s most persistent taboos: Thou shalt not roast or promote espresso from bushes of the Robusta species. For many years, the North American specialty espresso world has averted having something to do with the Robusta (Coffea canephora) species, the hardier, cheaper various to Coffea arabica that usually provides round 40% of the world’s espresso. This prohibition is essentially tacit and unspoken, however is predicated on a judgment of Robusta’s cup character as inescapably bland and bitter in comparison with Coffea arabica’s better sweetness, brightness and complexity. Within the U.S., virtually all Robustas find yourself in instantaneous coffees or canned grocery store blends.
However now, on the extra adventurous edges of the specialty espresso world, there’s a new curiosity in Robusta. Maybe we haven’t given it an opportunity, the pondering goes; maybe we haven’t tasted the actually good ones, those who had been meticulously processed or higher-grown. Possibly our complete set of espresso expectations is biased and off.
This curiosity is, partially, pushed by the looming actuality of worldwide warming, which threatens to radically cut back lands appropriate for the manufacturing of Coffea arabica, a notoriously fussy plant with narrowly outlined wants. Arabica requires excessive rising elevations within the tropics, for instance, with a mix of cool but frost-free nights. Robusta, alternatively, can thrive at hotter temperatures than Arabica and is usually a lot hardier.
Or a minimum of we thought it was hardier, an assumption partially challenged by the latest devastating drought in Vietnam, the world’s largest producer of Robusta. Unprecedented sizzling, dry climate diminished Robusta manufacturing in Vietnam by 20% in 2023-24, though the 2024-25 crop is now anticipated to rebound. Not too long ago, the seek for a extra climate-resilient espresso plant has prolonged to different espresso species: to Liberica, a hardy, low-elevation species extensively grown and consumed in Southeast Asia and the Philippines; to Excelsa, quite a lot of Liberica notably admired for its cup profile, and to Stenophylla, a uncommon and lately rediscovered species that analysis suggests tolerates excessive temperatures whereas displaying a variety of sensory character just like high-grown Arabica.
Dennis Ong of Excelsa Espresso with a younger Excelsa tree. Courtesy Excelsa Espresso
One more reason for the latest rise of curiosity in Robusta could also be a push by these Robusta producers who’re critical about high quality to get in on the specialty sport, to have the identical alternative to draw recognition and better costs for higher, extra distinctive coffees as those that develop Arabica.
A much less high-minded cause for the latest consideration paid to Robusta and different various espresso species is clearly specialty espresso’s longing for novelty. New processing strategies and wrinkles (anaerobic, carbonic maceration, fruit co-fermentation) appear to pop up each season, as do common bulletins of thrilling new sorts of Arabica (Sidra, Chiroso, Wush Wush), all of which counsel an trade that, nonetheless a lot it claims to worth the normal and genuine, wants greater than an occasional goose from the surprising and novel. And what might be extra novel than an underdog bean that challenges the maybe too acquainted, hum-drum Coffea arabica?
Lastly, an excellent much less high-minded cause for consideration to Robusta is the chance it provides to chop prices for inexperienced espresso. Though each Robusta and Arabica have been growing in value due to diminished manufacturing, Robusta nonetheless prices roasters much less per pound on common than Arabica — at the moment round 16% much less in accordance with figures revealed by Statista.com, a niche that has shrunk steadily since 2022, when Robusta value round 60% lower than Arabica.
Pattern Sourcing Challenges
To survey what a client would possibly anticipate from these non-Arabica species, we gathered and examined as many examples of specialty variations of Robusta and different non-Arabica espresso species as we may discover on the market in roasted, retail format by North American and Asian roasters. Our concept was, because it all the time has been, to permit our consumer-enthusiast readers to style and share within the newest tendencies and themes within the specialty espresso world.
And once more, an curiosity in Robusta and different various species seems to be a type of tendencies. “Robusta is having a second in specialty espresso,” UK espresso author Sarah Charles declared within the April 15, 2025 version of the trade publication Espresso Intelligence. “The underdog espresso bean that java snobs like to hate is lastly getting some respect,” in accordance with a Wall Avenue Journal quote featured on the Nguyen Espresso Provide web site. On the institutional and technical entrance, the brand new, Robusta-focused group Canephorum has lately launched a meticulously vetted sensory tasting wheel notably designed for the outline and analysis of Robusta. The announcement of the wheel’s debut on Instagram ended with a powerful rhetorical flourish: Robusta tasting “is now not in Arabica’s shadow. It stands grounded, described, and prepared — for many who dare to style past the anticipated.”
The Proof within the Cup
So, had been we blown away by the originality and brilliance of the cup profiles of those various species?
Unique? As in numerous from the same old vary of Arabica cup profiles? Sure, positively.
Sensible, as in thrilling, refreshingly totally different, the place can I get extra? Not so positive.
To start with, we discovered only a few samples to cup. Given the insistent trade chatter round various species, we thought we may be deluged by potentialities.
Not so. We had been capable of finding solely 20 or so alternative-species coffees on the market to shoppers, even after supplementing our traditional roaster solicitations by an intensive scouring of the web, bank card in hand. We surfaced many blends that mixed considered one of these species (normally Robusta) with Arabica, however discovered only a few choices composed fully of a single non-Arabica species. The third-wave preoccupation with providing single-origin coffees seems to not have prolonged as but to those various species.
However, we did flip up a provocative vary of coffees that counsel each the problem and the promise of bringing an expanded array of climate-friendly species to the worldwide specialty desk.
The Main Contender: Robusta
Robusta makes up about 40% of the world’s espresso manufacturing. The normally smallish, spherical beans have 22 chromosomes to Arabica’s 44 and comprise about half as a lot flavor-producing sugar and fat as Arabica, whereas, on common, twice the caffeine. The 5 Robusta samples we examined averaged a ranking of 86.6, with a excessive of 92 and a low of 85. This common is round two to 3 factors decrease than analogous outcomes from all-Arabica cuppings. For instance, it’s precisely three factors decrease than the typical ranking of 89.6 generated by 39 distinguished all-Arabica coffees from Central American producers we examined for a report in 2015.
Ting-Yeh Hsu of Zhuo Wu Mountain Farm in Alishan, Taipei along with his Robusta bushes. Courtesy of Dou Zhai Espresso
The very best-rated Robusta, the 91-point Dou Zhai Espresso Taiwan Alishan Robusta Pure, displayed what we felt was a tremendous and fairly basic Robusta profile: deep-toned, balanced, velvety in mouthfeel, complexly nut-toned and nougaty candy within the end. It supported my suspicion that the extra disappointing Robustas on this month’s report primarily lacked the form of consideration the specialty trade lavishes on the very best Arabicas on the planet. The uniform beans of this Taiwan-grown, single-farm Robusta implied cautious, flawless preparation at farm and mill, whereas their giant measurement suggests this espresso was produced from bushes of one of many many lately developed sorts of Robusta fairly than from conventional varieties, which typically produce a lot smaller beans.
Two much less spectacular Robustas reviewed right here, each fairly accessible to U.S. Espresso Evaluate readers, had been roasted and bought by Nguyen Espresso Provide, a vertically organized importer and roaster led by its charismatic founder, first-generation Vietnamese-American Sahra Nguyen. Nguyen Espresso additionally roasts Vietnamese Arabica, nevertheless it prominently options its dedication to Robusta, providing two pure Vietnamese Robustas: the medium-roasted, all-peaberry True Grit and the Hanoi Darkish Roast.
The uniform beans of those two Nguyen Robusta choices additionally counsel cautious preparation on the farms in Vietnam from which Nguyen Espresso sources its coffees, but each largely lacked the pleasing vary of aromatics and balanced construction of the Dou Zhai Taiwan Robusta. The modestly darker roast of the Hanoi mix (86) rounded the nut and fragrant wooden notes towards crisp cocoa, whereas within the lighter True Grit peaberry mix (85), a dry, herby character dominated, softened by a candy grainy word I known as caramel popcorn.
Robusta flowering in Dak Nong Province, Vietnam. Courtesy iStock/xuanhuongho
The purest expression of the Robusta species on this month’s opinions is the Z Avenue Espresso Kaapi Royale, reviewed right here at 86. Kaapi Royale is the best grade of Indian Robusta, and possibly the best grade of Robusta on the planet, with giant, uniform beans exhibiting zero bodily imperfections. The Kaapi Royale grade can be wet-processed, which implies the cup exhibits minimal impression from processing variations. The result’s a Robusta cup at its purest. Nevertheless, once we ordered the Kaapi Royale, I uncared for to specify a most well-liked diploma of roast, and Z Avenue despatched it at an excessive mild roast, netting a cup delicately brisk and candy, with cocoa and fig notes that give strategy to a disappointing bitterness within the end. If you’re open-minded and inquisitive about this completely ready robusta, I counsel you order it at a medium roast or darker, which is able to higher show its potential.
Robusta and “Robust Espresso” Blends
Recall that Robusta packs significantly extra caffeine than Arabica, about twice as a lot. Two coffees we overview this month benefit from this attribute. Thanksgiving Espresso, a pioneering specialty espresso roaster situated on the northern California coast, first supplied its high-caffeine, Robusta-heavy Pony Specific mix to passing truckers and native faculty college students in 1977. It stays a gradual vendor. We overview its present dark-roasted, chocolate-leaning incarnation right here at 87.
Extra lately (2012), Demise Want Espresso launched its Robusta-heavy model, driving its defiant drink-strong-coffee pitch to success as a mainstream fixture on the center cabinets of supermarkets. We overview the medium-roast Demise Want espresso right here at 84. This medium-roast Demise Want pattern is the one espresso in our testing that bore each USDA natural and Truthful Commerce USA seals. Within the cup, it’s intense however blunt and monotoned.
One other Local weather-Change Candidate: Coffea Liberica
If Robusta beans comprise extra caffeine and fewer sugar and fat than Arabica beans, then Liberica, a heat-tolerant, hardy espresso species extensively grown and consumed within the Philippines and Malaysia, leans within the different course. On common, Liberica, in addition to Excelsa, now categorized as quite a lot of Liberica, packs much less caffeine and significantly extra sugars and fat than both Robusta or Arabica.
These light, low-caffeine, high-sugar beans are hardly modest of their rising habits, nonetheless. All the things about Liberica (and Excelsa) is massive — the bushes (Liberica bushes might develop as tall as 50 ft), the leaves (a single Liberica leaf can develop as large as a foot), and the fruit and beans (each about double the typical measurement of Arabica or Robusta). These proportions are most likely one cause Liberica and Excelsa have by no means taken off to problem Arabica’s domination out there the best way Robusta has. The very tall bushes, which are inclined to develop up fairly than out, have to be picked and pruned with ladders, growing manufacturing prices. And the beans arrive on the bushes encased in thicker layers of fruit than Arabica, that means slower drying instances for the pure, dried-in-the-whole-fruit preparation typical for these species. Consequently, Liberica’s and Excelsa’s local weather resilience comes with comparatively excessive manufacturing prices, prices that apparently strategy these of Arabica.
In its favor, the Liberica cup profile has a fame for fruit and sweetness, maybe by affiliation with the thicker layers of fruit overlaying Liberica beans. The 2 examples of simple, natural-processed Liberica we examined, together with the 88-rated Ghost Hen Malaysia Solar-Dried Liberica reviewed right here, did present distinct recommendations of low-toned fruit. However, neither learn as notably candy. Since latest analysis sponsored by the Specialty Espresso Affiliation (SCA) has conclusively confirmed that sweetness in espresso can’t be related to sugars within the beverage (not almost sufficient sugar in brewed espresso to be detectable) and should be associated to different, as but unidentified components, it seems that we are able to’t assume that the upper sugar content material in Liberica and Excelsa beans essentially interprets to extra sweetness within the cup.
The Liberica and Excelsa species each produce giant fruit, giant leaves and huge bushes. Courtesy Excelsa Espresso
No Sweetness, No Sweat
However, irrespective of. If sweetness doesn’t include the bean, at this time’s specialty producers could make it occur — naturally. Two roasters despatched Liberica coffees that had been processed utilizing now acquainted strategies that intensify the notion of sweetness. The processing for the top-rated Ghost Hen Malaysia Liberica Anaerobic Pure (92) concerned sealing the fresh-picked fruit inside sealed drums for 20 days, making a model of the now acquainted, intensely candy, perfumy anaerobic profile. This anaerobic was a very unruly espresso, with a wild, overlapping bouquet of herbs and spices and a brilliant, candy-store fruit. We additionally overview a extra standard dry-processed Liberica from Ghost Hen, the Malaysia Liberica Solar-Dried Pure, at 88. Low-toned banana, pineapple and carob drive its deep, although fairly stolid profile.
Euphora Espresso, an modern Taiwan roaster, despatched three Liberica coffees that upped the anaerobic ante nonetheless additional. These Liberica coffees had been grown and processed by the pure, sun-dried methodology in Uganda, however after supply in Taiwan they had been topic to extra oxygen-free fermentation with pure substances added. The Euphora XO Liberica added French XO Brandy to the sealed tank, the Euphora aPeach added peaches, and the Euphora Liberica Rose added Taiwan-grown natural rose petals. The rose-petal model struck us as probably the most fascinating and unique of the three, so we revealed that 88-point overview right here. Do not forget that we assign scores to coffees blind, with out realizing the tales behind these coffees. We blind-rated the Liberica Brandy XO at 90 and the aPeach at 83.
Excelsa: The Lengthy-Shot Contender
Lastly, there may be Excelsa, as soon as thought of a separate species, however in 2006 formally deemed quite a lot of Liberica: Coffea liberica var. dewevrei. In contrast to Robusta or Liberica, Excelsa enters international espresso consciousness with a constructive fame. If Robusta involves the worldwide tasting desk with a nasty rap (bitter, easy), Excelsa, even supposing comparatively few within the specialty espresso world have sampled a lot of it, comes with glowing reward. “Excelsa espresso provides a singular and sophisticated taste profile characterised by a mix of fruity, tart, and generally spicy notes, with a brilliant acidity and medium to full physique,” gushes Google AI.
Darwin Castro of the Worldwide Excelsa Espresso Group with an Excelsa sapling. Courtesy Excelsa Espresso
The one cause we’ve got any Excelsa in any respect obtainable within the U.S. specialty world could also be owing to a single firm: Excelsa Espresso. Like Nguyen Espresso Provide, the U.S.-based champion of Robusta, Excelsa is a vertically organized firm. However Excelsa situates itself wider and deeper within the provide chain than Nguyen: It sells Excelsa, each roasted and inexperienced, imports Excelsa, and apparently now works carefully with farms that develop Excelsa. It was based by two enterprise folks turned espresso fans, Olin Patterson and Michael Mazzotta. Like Nguyen Espresso, Excelsa Espresso strikes me as an admirable effort to develop the specialty direct commerce paradigm to incorporate farmers and areas that, owing to arbitrary circumstances of local weather and geography, discover themselves caught producing espresso species not favored by dominant tastes.
Nevertheless, based mostly on our restricted tasting for this report, Excelsa Espresso, like Nguyen Espresso Provide, nonetheless has some work to do. We rated its smoky, briskly candy Excelsa Seasonal Mix at 86. In contrast to Nguyen, nonetheless, which seems prepared to face pat with the standard of the Robusta it at the moment imports, Excelsa is launched on a trajectory of innovation and growth. The founders despatched us a pattern of an experimental honey-processed Excelsa produced on a Philippines farm they’re working with that isn’t but obtainable retail, however which, in comparison with the corporate’s present choices, confirmed a powerful achieve in sweetness and fragrant complexity. And, to construct with regards to pending Excelsa availability, an Excelsa produced in Puerto Rico by producer Rancho Contento, once more, not extensively sufficient distributed but for us to overview, confirmed appreciable promise.
A Sensory Tendency Throughout Species
However, it’s putting how all of this month’s single-species samples share one very broad sensory tendency.
On the coronary heart of the sensory bundle of a high-grown, cleanly processed Arabica espresso is a fancy, sweet-tart tendency that within the extraordinary language of specialty espresso is usually summed up with the clumsy, deceptive time period “acidity.” I don’t suppose it’s correct to sum up such a richly mutable sensory tendency in a single phrase, notably a time period that comes loaded with each adverse connotations on the fashionable degree and, so far as I can inform, can be obscure and ambiguous at a technical or chemical degree. Espresso describers usually use the time period “brightness” for this sensory complicated, in my opinion a greater phrase by far than “acidity.”
However no matter it’s, and nonetheless we might try to explain or determine it, this sensory complicated seems to be largely subdued or missing in all samples of all three of the non-Arabica espresso sorts we survey right here, a minimum of once they had been topic to orthodox processing just like the washed or pure strategies. All through, there was a leaning towards an usually inert bittersweetness and an inclination to fragrant simplicity. We discovered these broad tendencies even in one of the best we examined, just like the 91-rated Dou Zhai Taiwan Alishan Robusta.
There have been, in fact, compensating pleasures available within the extra profitable of those species: dried or sweet-savory fruit, for instance, and beneficiant nut notes, usually sweet-toned (suppose cashew), at different instances pleasantly bitterish (walnut). These nut notes usually leaned towards a crisp, dry cocoa. Overlapping the nut tones had been usually fragrant wooden notes, normally manifesting in lighter roasts as a fresh-cut lumberyard fir, or cedar in considerably darker roasts. Contemporary leather-based, candy pipe tobacco, and herb and spice notes had been additionally widespread.
An instance of refined Robusta manufacturing in India. Buttercup Daring, Palthope Property’s model of Robusta, is organically grown and massively intercropped in shade. Courtesy of Kenneth Davids
Refining the Different Species Cup
However for these species-specific pleasures to persistently categorical themselves and obtain assist amongst Arabica-loving shoppers might require greater than influencer expertise and fancy web sites. It might require the identical obsessive pursuit of refined excellence all through the availability chain as is now at play on the planet of Arabica espresso.
As a result of the rationale for the growing numbers of 94-plus scores on Espresso Evaluate is just not scores inflation, neither is it sensory prejudice in favor of Arabica. Relatively, these excessive scores are a manifestation of a worldwide obsession amongst espresso producers, exporters, importers and roasters to create the best presentation of the Arabica species doable: to win inexperienced espresso competitions, to be the espresso that helps win brewing competitions, to promote for astonishing costs on web auctions, and to earn excessive scores on Espresso Evaluate.
Till Robusta, Liberica and Excelsa appeal to one thing near that very same diploma of consideration and refinement, I anticipate that the modest scores success achieved by the coffees reviewed for this report will stay the norm for these species. The truth is, the typical scores on this month’s opinions are one thing of an achievement. We had no samples are available in below 80, for instance. We merely tasted plenty of respectable coffees that merely didn’t fairly take off.
A Caveat: Different Species, Espresso and Mixing
Espresso professionals and fans who’ve come alongside this far will, in fact, acknowledge the boundaries of this month’s sourcing and testing protocols and the conclusions we draw from them. We’ve solely checked out these non-Arabica choices as single-origin, standalone brewed coffees, whereas Robusta, particularly, is at its finest in conventional espresso preparation, in addition to a part in blends for all brewing strategies.
The relative absence of acidy brightness on this report’s samples could also be a advantage in conventional espresso manufacturing, provided that the sensory intensification generated by espresso brewing tends to show what may be pleasing brightness in a brewed espresso into not-so-pleasing sharpness in an espresso shot. And in blends, typically, no matter brewing methodology, Robusta is helpful as a strategy to knit collectively, deepen and around the impression of extra assertive coffees, a follow at which continental European roasters are notably expert.
But when the present media consideration to Robusta and curiosity in various species continues to construct, we may even see these three species escape of their roles as fascinating sensory underdogs and decisively develop the basic vary of espresso excellence.
