Uber-premium specialty robusta

[luca]

Ok, so a lot of robusta is grown because it is ... well ... robust. It is treated as a commodity and not processed or stored with any particular care. But, nonetheless, youd think that robusta is just a species of coffee plant and, so, like any other species, would respond favourably to the right terroir and processing technique. Now none of those are original thoughts. They are obviously what these guys were thinking:

http://www.paradiseroasters.com/soindiasitara1.html

http://www.coffeereview.com/review.cfm?ID=1206

Presumably none of this stuff comes our way, but if it did, Id certainly be up for it! Id imagine that 100% robusta that tastes good would have to be close to one of the most forgiving coffees on the planet!

Cheers,

Luca

[Javaphile]

Re: Uber-premium specialty robusta

Hhhmmm......That roasting company is only about 50km from me. Ill have to give them a ring and see what kind of prices theyll give me on green. Judging from their roasted prices though it will be far too expensive to justify buying. :P


Java "Ill let ya know!" phile

[Javaphile]

Re: Uber-premium specialty robusta

Doh! Theyve got Green prices right on their page! And as I suspected from their roasted prices their green prices are considerably higher than Im paying from another local speciality roaster, in some cases for identical beans. And theyre only 8km away rather than 50km. Guess Ill be sticking to them. ;D


Java "Time for another order!" phile

[Thundergod]

Re: Uber-premium specialty robusta

But youll save almost $30 if you buy 20lbs.

[JavaB]

Re: Uber-premium specialty robusta

But youll save almost $30 if you buy 20lbs.

What would Javaphile do with ONLY 20 lbs?

That is probably less than a weeks supply or one CP session!

[Javaphile]

Re: Uber-premium specialty robusta

Im currently only paying $3.75/lb and I dont have to order 20 pounds of each variety to get that price. I can pick and choose as little or as much as I want of each bean.

Heres their current offerings: http://www.bwjava.com/offerings/

Gotta get my order in there next week as the shelves are looking awfully bare here.


Java "Beans! I must have more beans!" phile

[PCR]

Re: Uber-premium specialty robusta

There are some premium robustas out there.
Some people say theyre great. They are great compared to your generic robustas but theyre still robusta.
If youre sensitive to the taste of robusta (like i am) You will always pick it in an espresso.

You can put a dress , eyeliner and lipstick on a pig but its still a pig.

You cant pretend youre ever going to find a robusta that tastes like a premium grade arabica. I dont care what anyone says.

[luca]

Re: Uber-premium specialty robusta

You can put a dress , eyeliner and lipstick on a pig but its still a pig.

You cant pretend youre ever going to find a robusta that tastes like a premium grade arabica. I dont care what anyone says.

This sort of attitude is exactly why my curiosity is piqued. I wonder how much of it is as a result of general marketing garbage propounded by the larger purveyors of stale crap. I have seen and tasted some really, really terrible arabica. Hell, a friend of mine ordered some of the cheapest stuff that he could get to season a new roaster and decided that it was so utterly awful that he just threw it away! If thats whats being used by some of the bigger companies that proudly exclaim "100% arabica," then it really does just seem to sound like marketing crappola.

When you start talking to people who really know their stuff, robusta starts to divide people into two camps. There are a lot of people whose tastes I really respect that like some decent robusta in a blend. There are just as many who shun it. A few days ago someone raised the interesting point that tasting robusta is apparently genetic!

So I dont want to brush off your opinion and Im certainly not saying that its wrong. It is precisely because people have very differnt opinions on the subject that I really want to try it for myself. Because, after all, its whats in the cup that counts.

Java, I think that youre going to have to take one for the team! Actually, it probably wouldnt hurt to try some of Miguels stuff at some stage. He seems to go to great lengths to source out some really esoteric stuff. For example, I know that he went over to the ecafe auctions to pick up some incredible dry processed Yirg.

Cheers,

Luca

[TC]

Re: Uber-premium specialty robusta

I have to agree with Luca. I have cupped some sensational robustas- especially some of the high quality Indian robusta. Many have a beautiful bitter sweet taste and fragrance along with superb body. Id love to see some of the worlds best....

In fact, have a go at plunger robusta (a really good one) accompanied by a little milk...You may well be surprised at how good they can be!  

[Andy]

Re: Uber-premium specialty robusta

I had been given the same sorts of lines about monsooned beans... and a quick look in Monsooned Malabar threads will certainly tell a different story.

You gotta try em blind all before you poo-poo else you might missout on a ripper.

[JR]

Re: Uber-premium specialty robusta

One of the early CoffeeSnobs cupping sessions at The Coffee Academy involved a blind tasting of various coffees and I particularly remember one coffee which rated very highly. It ended up being robusta and could have been the Indian 2MCM mentioned. I remember commends re is great body and drawing close similarities to Yemen Ismaili which people mistook it for. That coffee was every bit as good as the arabica tasted that day. I was very surprised with it given all the bad publicity it gets.

I personally think the bad reputation it gets is due to a massive oversupply and as such robusta commands a much lower price, the farmers put less effort into farming techniques and the final product is harmed.

I am positive there would be more niche high quality robusta out there rivalling quality arabica and to say otherwise is narrow sighted.

My $0.02
Dan

[Javaphile]

Re: Uber-premium specialty robusta

Java, I think that youre going to have to take one for the team!

Hhhhmmm.......Maybe. Im yet to be convinced! :-?

Actually, it probably wouldnt hurt to try some of Miguels stuff at some stage. He seems to go to great lengths to source out some really esoteric stuff. For example, I know that he went over to the ecafe auctions to pick up some incredible dry processed Yirg.

Many of his varieties I have tried, buying in small quantities at half the price he sells bulk for! > Theres no doubt he has some great beans as Ive tried many of them, but at the prices he charges? :-?

Im also curious as to why they sell this bean as a medium roast, but on the green bean page for it reccomend a full city-veninna roast. :-? :-/ Hardly a medium roast!


Java "Price does matter!" phile