Rooting For Robusta

Everyone loves a good underdog story. We love to root for the least likely to succeed, the one whose chips are down yet overcomes the odds to tell a triumphant story. In the coffee world, the Robusta variety is the undisputed underdog. It’s the one people love to turn their noses up at and ignore, yet Robusta is the future of coffee. Wonder why I’m so confident? Allow me to fill you in on what makes Robusta all that (and a good cup of coffee).

Robusta (Coffea canephora or Coffea robusta) and its popular cousin, Arabica (Coffea arabica), are the two main varieties of coffee consumed worldwide. Robusta makes up 40% of all the coffee produced globally*. Whenever it’s compared to Arabica, the differences in their flavor profiles are pointed out the most. You might have heard Robusta described in less-than-flattering ways as bitter, rubbery or non-specialty, but it’s all a matter of perspective — and in some cases, prejudice. Robusta is a strong, bold coffee, and those of us who know and love it recognise there’s more to it than initially meets one’s expectations. Rich in personality and full of potential, Robusta is destined for great things.

I come from Ghana, a beautiful country in West Africa and the world’s second largest producer of cocoa. Ghana’s generally low altitudes and terrain favour Robusta cultivation and, naturally, the West Africa region has a taste for dark coffee: coffee with a kick! Over the last decade, many Ghanaian smallholder farmers have found growing Robusta a great alternative to cocoa. It costs less to grow, matures faster, is easier to maintain and its higher caffeine content makes it less vulnerable to pests and disease. It is projected that Robusta currently supports the livelihoods and families of an estimated 8,000 smallholder farmers in Ghana, who stand to earn decent prices for their hard labour as appreciation for the variety improves.

Coffee is all about taste, and that’s another area where Robusta shines. Just as some people like cream and flavors in their coffee, some like Robusta! The sweet, tasty, caramel, nutty, and spicy flavor is highly sought after by those who have become acquainted with it. Unique in its own right, it deserves to be judged on its own merit. There are many loved coffee brands which utilize Robusta. Can you name a few?

I remember the thrill of my first cup of Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. I literally could not sleep the whole night! Was it Arabica I had? Robusta? I ask, how many drinkers even know what kind of coffee they have when they walk out of a café? Who’s to say that the coffee you know tastes better than what you’ve not experienced? Who decides what is lovable and what is not?

Let Robusta not be put down as a coffee no one loves. Let Robusta have a chance to dance in the limelight. Let the hardworking farmers who toil endlessly and as hard, if not harder than, Arabica farmers be enabled to earn a fair price for their crop, and let those who process and sell Robusta coffee outside their home territories also have a fair chance in that market. Most of all, let the barriers that prevent consumers from even getting to taste Robusta come down.

Every underdog has its day of redemption, and that day is coming for Robusta. The lower global demand for and recognition of the variety means there has traditionally been little focus on the quality of its cultivation, harvest, processing, roasting and brewing like Arabica enjoys. That’s all changing in the face of climate change. Robusta is more resistant to erratic weather patterns and high temperatures, two critical conditions which are shrinking growing areas for Arabica. While Arabica can’t stand the heat, Robusta is thriving and limitless. A 2021 study** estimates that the land available for Arabica production will be halved by 2050 due to climate change. Ready or not, World: Robusta is coming. It’s time to give it the attention it deserves.

As for me, I flip my hair, strut my hips and sip happily on my Robusta, because guess what? I like it, I love it – and I’m in good company with many other Robusta coffee drinkers. Let’s hear it for Robusta!

And another thing: let’s make room for Robusta as a specialty coffee. That’s the story ending it deserves!

Emi-Beth is the founder of Kawa Moka, a social enterprise coffee company based in Ghana that works with women along the value chain, a member of the CRG Leadership Council, an SCA Lead Scholar and a proud drinker of Robusta.

References:

*https://www.ico.org/prices/po-production.pdf

**https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0261976, https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharysmith/2022/01/26/earths-suitability-for-growing-coffee-will-drastically-decrease-by-2050-study-says/