Robusta tree flowering in India. Courtesy Kenneth Davids

Espresso Assessment readers are probably conscious of one in every 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 prevented having something to do with the Robusta (Coffea canephora) species, the hardier, cheaper various to Coffea arabica that sometimes provides round 40% of the world’s espresso. This prohibition is basically 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 larger sweetness, brightness and complexity. Within the U.S., nearly all Robustas find yourself in on the spot 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 considering goes; maybe we haven’t tasted the actually good ones, people who had been meticulously processed or higher-grown. Perhaps our complete set of espresso expectations is biased and off.

This curiosity is, partly, 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 mixture of cool but frost-free nights. Robusta, alternatively, can thrive at hotter temperatures than Arabica and is mostly a lot hardier.

Or a minimum of we thought it was hardier, an assumption partly challenged by the latest devastating drought in Vietnam, the world’s largest producer of Robusta. Unprecedented sizzling, dry climate lowered Robusta manufacturing in Vietnam by 20% in 2023-24, though the 2024-25 crop is now anticipated to rebound. Lately, 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 just lately rediscovered species that analysis suggests tolerates excessive temperatures whereas displaying a spread of sensory character just like high-grown Arabica.

Dennis Ong of Excelsa Espresso with a younger Excelsa tree. Courtesy Excelsa Espresso

Another excuse 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 recreation, 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 motive for the latest consideration paid to Robusta and different various espresso species is clearly specialty espresso’s yearning 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 types of Arabica (Sidra, Chiroso, Wush Wush), all of which counsel an business that, nevertheless a lot it claims to worth the normal and genuine, wants greater than an occasional goose from the surprising and novel. And what may very well be extra novel than an underdog bean that challenges the maybe too acquainted, hum-drum Coffea arabica?

Lastly, a fair much less high-minded motive for consideration to Robusta is the chance it presents 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 based on figures printed by Statista.com, a niche that has shrunk steadily since 2022, when Robusta price round 60% lower than Arabica.

Pattern Sourcing Challenges

To survey what a shopper may count on 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 thought was, because it at all times 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 kind of tendencies. “Robusta is having a second in specialty espresso,” UK espresso author Sarah Charles declared within the April 15, 2025 version of the business publication Espresso Intelligence. “The underdog espresso bean that java snobs like to hate is lastly getting some respect,” based on 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 just 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 convincing 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 several from the standard vary of Arabica cup profiles? Sure, undoubtedly.

Good, as in thrilling, refreshingly totally different, the place can I get extra? Not so certain.

To begin with, we discovered only a few samples to cup. Given the insistent business chatter round various species, we thought we is likely to 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 ordinary roaster solicitations by an intensive scouring of the web, bank card in hand. We surfaced many blends that mixed one in every of these species (often Robusta) with Arabica, however discovered only a few choices composed totally 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 often 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 common 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 together 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 high quality 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 business lavishes on the very best Arabicas on this planet. The uniform beans of this Taiwan-grown, single-farm Robusta implied cautious, flawless preparation at farm and mill, whereas their massive dimension suggests this espresso was produced from bushes of one of many many just lately developed types of Robusta somewhat 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 Assessment 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, but it surely 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 evaluations is the Z Avenue Espresso Kaapi Royale, reviewed right here at 86. Kaapi Royale is the very best grade of Indian Robusta, and possibly the very best grade of Robusta on this planet, with massive, uniform beans exhibiting zero bodily imperfections. The Kaapi Royale grade can also be wet-processed, which implies the cup exhibits minimal affect from processing variations. The result’s a Robusta cup at its purest. Nonetheless, Z Avenue introduced this flawless bean to an excessive mild roast, netting a espresso delicately brisk and candy, with cocoa and fig notes that give strategy to a disappointing bitterness within the end. This completely ready bean would have benefited from a extra developed roast.

Robusta and “Sturdy Espresso” Blends

Recall that Robusta packs significantly extra caffeine than Arabica, about twice as a lot. Two coffees we overview this month make the most of this attribute. Thanksgiving Espresso, a pioneering specialty espresso roaster situated on the northern California coast, first provided its high-caffeine, Robusta-heavy Pony Categorical mix to passing truckers and native school college students in 1977. It stays a gentle vendor. We overview its present dark-roasted, chocolate-leaning incarnation right here at 87.

Extra just lately (2012), Dying 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 Dying Want espresso right here at 84. This medium-roast Dying Want pattern is the one espresso in our testing that bore each USDA natural and Honest 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 path. 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 mild, low-caffeine, high-sugar beans are hardly modest of their rising habits, nevertheless. Every thing about Liberica (and Excelsa) is massive — the bushes (Liberica bushes might develop as tall as 50 toes), the leaves (a single Liberica leaf can develop as broad as a foot), and the fruit and beans (each about double the common dimension of Arabica or Robusta). These proportions are most likely one motive Liberica and Excelsa have by no means taken off to problem Arabica’s domination available in the market the best way Robusta has. The very tall bushes, which are inclined to develop up somewhat than out, must be picked and pruned with ladders, growing manufacturing prices. And the beans arrive on the bushes encased in thicker layers of fruit than Arabica, which means slower drying occasions 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 easy, natural-processed Liberica we examined, together with the 88-rated Ghost Chook 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 have to be associated to different, as but unidentified elements, 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 massive fruit, massive leaves and enormous bushes. Courtesy Excelsa Espresso

No Sweetness, No Sweat

However, irrespective of. If sweetness doesn’t include the bean, right now’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 Chook 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 vibrant, candy-store fruit. We additionally overview a extra standard dry-processed Liberica from Ghost Chook, the Malaysia Liberica Solar-Dried Pure, at 88. Low-toned banana, pineapple and carob drive its deep, although somewhat 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 attention-grabbing and unique of the three, so we printed that 88-point overview right here. Keep in mind that we assign scores to coffees blind, with out figuring out 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’s Excelsa, as soon as thought-about a separate species, however in 2006 formally deemed quite a lot of Liberica: Coffea liberica var. dewevrei. Not like Robusta or Liberica, Excelsa enters world espresso consciousness with a optimistic fame. If Robusta involves the worldwide tasting desk with a nasty rap (bitter, easy), Excelsa, although comparatively few within the specialty espresso world have sampled a lot of it, comes with glowing reward. “Excelsa espresso presents a novel and sophisticated taste profile characterised by a mix of fruity, tart, and typically spicy notes, with a vibrant 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 motive 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 intently with farms that develop Excelsa. It was based by two enterprise folks turned espresso lovers, 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.

Nonetheless, 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. Not like Nguyen, nevertheless, 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 improvement. 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 as 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 odd 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 unfavorable connotations on the in style stage and, so far as I can inform, can also be imprecise and ambiguous at a technical or chemical stage. Espresso describers usually use the time period “brightness” for this sensory advanced, in my opinion a greater phrase by far than “acidity.”

However no matter it’s, and nevertheless we might try to explain or establish it, this sensory advanced seems to be largely subdued or missing in all samples of all three of the non-Arabica espresso varieties 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 occasions pleasantly bitterish (walnut). These nut notes usually leaned towards a crisp, dry cocoa. Overlapping the nut tones had been usually fragrant wooden notes, often 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 constantly categorical themselves and obtain assist amongst Arabica-loving shoppers might require greater than influencer expertise and fancy web sites. It could require the identical obsessive pursuit of refined excellence all through the availability chain as is now at play on this planet of Arabica espresso.

As a result of the rationale for the growing numbers of 94-plus scores on Espresso Assessment just isn’t scores inflation, neither is it sensory prejudice in favor of Arabica. Slightly, 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 Assessment.

Till Robusta, Liberica and Excelsa entice one thing near that very same diploma of consideration and refinement, I count on that the modest scores success achieved by the coffees reviewed for this report will stay the norm for these species. In actual fact, the common scores on this month’s evaluations are one thing of an achievement. We had no samples are available in beneath 80, for instance. We merely tasted loads of respectable coffees that merely didn’t fairly take off.

A Caveat: Different Species, Espresso and Mixing

Espresso professionals and lovers who’ve come alongside this far will, in fact, acknowledge the bounds of this month’s sourcing and testing protocols and the conclusions we draw from them. We have now 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 element 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 is likely to 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 affect 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 might even see these three species escape of their roles as attention-grabbing sensory underdogs and decisively develop the elemental vary of espresso excellence.