Robusta Revival: Roast Profiles

Roasting on the Bullet
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In the past year I revisited robusta (I believe canephora is the correct botanical name for this coffee species), and was blown away by the cup quality having received 4 robustas as part of my subscription to the Cherry Love Tasting Experience (sadly no longer available). I went on to seek out cupping events featuring robustas and continued to be surprised, I can only assume my previous poor opinion of robusta was likely based on tasting commodity robustas.

I’ve bought 5KG of speciality robusta and thanks to reading Mikolaj Pociecha’s ‘Robusta/Canephora’ book I’ve gleaned that the canephora species requires special handling largely down to the cell structure and rigid outer layer that challenges heat transfer:
A soak period
Longer MAI
Longer development times (could be 2:30, 18-25% for filter) that include plateau and low RoR
Increased fan speeds during DEV
Drum speed modulation to control the balance of convection to conduction combined with airflow control
Lighter internal colour 110-120 compared to 95-105 for arabica (filter profile)
Reduced batch sizes (I’m guessing 660g max on the Aillio Bullet R1)

It seems like a whole new set of rules, I would love to collaborate with someone, or if you have already developed some specialty robusta filter profiles you can share?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Ben

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This is rad, I wish I had some Robusta to collaborate with. Good Luck!

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I have not got a Bullet Roaster, but this is a post I will get back to when I do! Thanks for all the detailed notes provided!

… I never believed my bean retailer when he advised against the purchase of robusta beans, stating that the tasting notes for these were: “burnt rubber”.

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The canephora species has a ton of varieties to explore, I suspect few people can name more than 2 varietals, which would indicate most people’s experience of robusta is second hand and severely limited. It’s also not helped by the fact that too often canephora is roasted poorly, with unsuitable arabica roast profiles. This may also explain why a lot of people have written off the entire canephora species as burnt rubber. I have been guilty of spreading these falsehoods in the past. With climate change challenges, canephora has been thriving where arabica is no longer a viable crop for farmers. Canephora may provide part of the solution.

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Speaking as someone who has cupped a lot of these “new” robustas in the past couple of years, I must say that they are much better, but it isn’t just the roasting. The cultivation and processing methods changed once people smelled cash. Some of these specialty robustas cost as much as arabicas. Usually, Q Graders were something you’ve heard about in regard to arabica, but now, or for some time if you prefer, there are Q Robusta Graders. And this is all great, but I’m so far removed from paying these sums of money for something that yields so much more, is much more resistant and easier to produce and, the nail in the coffin, will never taste even close to quality arabica.

Going back to roasting, I guess the same thing can be said of arabica. Everyone takes whatever is cheap, burns it and it’s all good. Over roasted coffees all taste the same. Well, you might argue that one is wood, the other rubber and the third one ash, but it’s all the same to me. But hey, the one that bought arabica may slap that on the label and sell higher. Even today the market share for specialty coffee is extremely low. That’s due to the exorbitant prices and enormous inequalities. If specialty coffee represents 3% of the world market, what does that tell you? It’s like all the things that are good for the environment are only meant for the rich. And it’s not that people don’t like specialty coffee, it’s because they can’t afford it. How do I know? Well, I’ve given samples, had tasting sessions, been on fairs, etc. The people recognize the enormous difference in quality, even if it’s an 81 points coffee, but they all say they can’t afford it. And I’m talking about normal, everyday people, not the 3% (which is 55% in the US). What’s even more alarming, people sell coffees they’ve paid, let’s say 20€ KG, even though that is rare and I can buy some high quality gesha for less than that (although not from Panama), for 120€ KG roasted. It’s always the farmer that makes less than everybody. Taxes, customs, electricity, transport, packaging… So, having all that in mind, and looking at the listings of some specialty robustas that go anywhere between 8-18€ KG (the one I liked at cupping costs 15.90€), what is there to gain? Who will buy a robusta that costs 60-70€ KG? I might be able to sell it lower, but it wouldn’t be a good look to have a robusta that costs more than a gesha. But hey, come to think of it, that’s how much coffee in pods costs per KG. Continue on the path of destruction and adapt by growing lesser quality crops so we may continue with our ambush suicide unbothered? Let’s just put another example here. This year in Italy a KG of cherries reached 21€ KG, while bananas and pineapples were priced at 0.99€ KG. It’s already absurd, because the cherry orchards are a couple of KM away from me, and I don’t have to tell you where the bananas and pineapples come from. Now, imagine someone improves bananas and pineapples and slaps 21€ KG on them. Would people buy them? Also, how many people bought cherries this year? I visited France in season and the price was the same, so not many people ate cherries this year.

As for varieties, you can always visit this page and make your own catalogue. It’s all free.
World Coffee Research | This catalog aims to present information for…

Once the prices are a bit less than a very good gesha (not from Panama), or all arabica species die, I’ll be happy to discuss the roasting process and profiles for robusta. What will happen is that the robusta prices will continue going up…

Vietnamese coffee becomes a ‘money machine’ with record-breaking prices

Vietnam’s coffee exports earn $400 million in first 15 days of 2025

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Amazing contribution to the conversation, and a reminder to me that we all have unique palates, pockets, and purchasing criteria.

Having come from the wine world, I’ve learned that some people will happily pay for a flavour that they find desirable. Sometimes, there is a premium attached, down to scarcity, low yields, local labour costs, or processing costs. Robusta offers some unique characteristics, and anyone interested in exploration will find fertile ground in Robusta. The robusta even has its own flavour wheel.
As a roaster I cup my roasts weekly in the cafe, encouraging customers to join in, and I’m constantly reminded that what I believe are the most enjoyable cups, frequently do not align with my customers. These cupping sessions have helped shape my green buying decisions. Too often we talk in terms of quality or cup score, and assume that this coffee is better that, when in fact each coffee has a home. And in the eyes of the smitten beholder, that coffee is perfection regardless of the score.
In terms of supporting farmers, if I have a farm I already have a purchasing relationship with, and they have had to replace their arabica trees wIth robusta, I would happily continue to support that farm knowing the effort, care and attention they put in to producing their coffees. I’m in, but I’m also fortunate to run a small cafe, where I can share the stories behind each coffee, help interpret the flavours, and have a healthy customer base that makes decision based on ethics and wanting to support me in my endeavours. We all carve out a deliberate slice of the market. I’m excited with the potential of robusta, and having been fortunate enough to cup some of the climate resistant F1 Hybrids with World Coffee Research, these are new varieties due to be released commercially in 2030, part of WCR nursery breeding programs to help farmers meet the challenges ahead.

Robusta has a bad rap, and it’s unjustified. A Robusta varietal carefully selected for its cup qaulity, in the hands of a specialty focused producer, followed by a roaster that understands its unique roasting requirements, has the potential to surprise and delight, and I’m excited to explore and hopefully change people’s perceptions.

Now how did we get here? I think we were talking robusta roast profiles, but what I’m hearing is ‘Long Live Arabica’.

A lively conversation, thank you.

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I really like constructive conversations, but I don’t know a lot of stuff, so I must ask you a few questions. First, why did they have to replace the trees and where is this farm? You don’t have to be specific, just the country will do. Now, for the second question, as this is written word and the tone might come across as a bit sarcastic, I must tell you that it is completely genuine in terms of me not understanding and seeking an answer. The thing with climate resistant hybrids, that we know about for some time, including the Starbucks varieties, is a solution? To me, it looks like hitting myself with a heavy object and solving it by putting on protective armour to be able to continue to hit myself. So, what happens when I break the armour? Also, the F1 varieties come with a small note attached that reminds me of Indian cotton farmers that used to take the seed and plant it, then replaced the cotton with the hybrid that promised a lot of things, but now they must purchase new seeds for every new cycle, or rather each year. It’s a vast topic, but I’m just listing it as example. Plenty to be found about it with any search engine.

The question is, because I think I’m not seeing things properly, how is this a solution?

Lastly, I’ll just reply here. As I’ve said, the same thing may be said about arabica. It’s just that people weren’t used to getting high quality coffee and just burned it to a crisp so it can all taste the same. With the high quality robustas that we’re getting, it amounts to the same thing. As a roaster, it shouldn’t be too complicated for you to find the ideal profile for a certain coffee. You try a lot of things and stick with the one that gives good results. Roasting robusta as if it were arabica is madness because there’s simply too much difference in density, cell structure… By the way, I’m not saying “Long live arabica”, I’m just saying that the price of robusta can’t be superior or equal. And I’m also saying “Please, not death for arabica”, which would mean that we need to worry about far more serious things than replacing one species. As for the “how did we get here” part, I thought that everything is connected. I thought that you can’t really improve the trash robusta we were getting before with any roast profile, and that the change in cultivation and processing led to this point. Obviously, I was wrong, and I apologise for that.

P. S. By the way, if you’re interested, there’s a lot of movement in the liberica revival. Plenty of good stuff happening in Vietnam, Malaysia… And getting a good roast profile is even more challenging. Just a heads up for the prices which are pretty high at the moment, but it’s just the beginning.

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You’re digging deep and want answers which is fantastic, but I’m most definitely not qualified. Perhaps someone else can jump in here. In November however, I’ll be joining World Coffee Research scientists for a members-only webinar to celebrate the official launch of the Innovea Global Coffee Breeding Network’s Robusta program. Perhaps I will have some answers for you then, maybe some robusta roast profiles.
But for now, I’ve got to jump on my bike and head in to the roastery to roast some expensive robusta.

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Sorry again, I just assumed you knew based on what you wrote. Have a great day and happy roasting. I just finished mine for the day, but it was only cheap arabica. :smiley:

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For anyone interested in pursuing Robusta here’s my fist and second attempt, The first way too slow, the second too fast, however both showing some promise in the cup with pleasant light red fruit.

My advice when venturing into the brave new land of robusta, try not to compare it to arabica, that would be like comparing red wine to a white wine, they are two different animals. It took me a while to learn to appreciate white wine, and red wine also presented its own challenges, but both found its place in my life, its own unique occasion, its season. I do of course understand there are white wine only drinkers out there. The more I dabble in robusta, the more I am gaining an appreciation, and understanding of it’s unique place. I’m enjoying this journey.