Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1506254
STiR coffee and tea 25 produce RTD & Instant Coffee with HIGH IMPACT Flavourtech's processing technologies are helping Learn more flavourtech.com Are You Looking To Create MARKET LEADING COFFEE? NATURAL FLAVOUR - Contact us to find out how! Aroma Recovery & Brewing Extract Concentration Complete Processing Lines Aroma Concentration Merits The advantages of robusta start at the farm, where this species outperforms arabica in terms of yield, hardiness, and ease of harvest. As a result of lower costs for agricultural chemicals and labor, it is less costly to grow. Robusta is relatively resistant to leaf rust and insects like white stem borer. It can be grown in a wide range of elevations, from lowlands at just above sea level up to the same high slopes that are preferred by arabica. Robusta's versatility and hardiness means that it can play a complementary role together with ara- bica at some farms, according to Stephany Davila- Hermeling, founder of Encafe, a coffee business education institute in Guatemala. "If you grow coffee on a mountain slope, you can use the lower parts for robusta and the upper parts for grow- ing arabica. Or you can use robusta as a barrier to prevent coffee leaf rust coming into your planta- tion, since they are taller plants. Or you can use the seeds for grafting." Because robusta withstands heat, it is expected to play a growing role in global coffee production as climate change forces farmers to move arabica plantations to ever higher elevations or abandon arabica altogether. Sunalini N. Menon, CEO of Coffeelab, based in Bangalore, India, said robusta might need to survive at temperatures as high as 45–50 degrees Celsius, a level that is no longer rare in India. The bean's taste profile and characteristics have some advantages as well. "Robusta highlights the arabica flavors in a blend, and it can support a rather poor-quality ara- bica, too. Just 10–15% of robusta in an espresso blend makes all the difference," Menon said. Ro- busta is low in acidity, has a strong body, and a high supply of caffeine, which yields lots of crema as well as nice texture. Using robusta Growers considering whether to plant robusta need to understand how it is positioned in the market and sold, according to Gloria Pedroza La- bin, Colombia-born head of quality at Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG), the Hamburg-based green coffee company. She observed that the specific end use of a robusta can depend on the post-har- vest processing method. Will it be mixed with an arabica to reduce the cost of a blend? Or will it be served as fine robusta? Instant? Menon noted that a dark roasted coffee, wheth- er arabica or robusta, tends to be bitter. When a ro- busta is given a medium roast, however, it can offer funky, exotic flavors that appeal to the growing seg-