STiR coffee and tea magazine

STiR coffee and tea 49 K L O T H & K Ö H N K E N T E E H A N D E L G M B H K O N S U L - S M I D T - S T R A S S E 8 j SPEICHER 1 - D -282 17 BREMEN FON + 4 9 - 4 2 1 - 3 4 8 5 2 6 4 FAX + 4 9 - 4 2 1 - 3 4 7 7 7 2 0 W W W . K K T E E . D E M A I L @ K K T E E . D E IT SUITS ALL MERCHANTS TO TRADE FAIR AND QUALI-TEA ! "The great challenge now is to develop the market and introduce quality. Break- ing the paradigm of a bad reputation among arabica specialists is our goal now," said Lucas, one of the specialty conilon pioneers in Espirito Santo state. The next step for science is to develop varieties that emphasize aromatic and sen- sory qualities in addition to productivity and resistance to plagues and diseases and tolerance during drought. "Meanwhile, we need to establish sensorial parameters to fairly evaluate high quality robusta/conilon. When this is accomplished, pricing is a natural consequence," says Silvio. As a specialist in coffee grading, tasting, and quality control, Silvio plays an im- portant role in the coffee scene in Brazil. At a time when specialty arabica was largely unknown in the domestic industry, Silvio and his team developed and disseminated quality standards and sensorial protocols. He is one of the founders of the Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA) and an early supporter of CoE. Now that the Brazilian market for arabica is established and doing well, his quest is to reproduce the same steps in the robusta/conilon segment through public- and private-sector partnerships. As the first official activity, this cupping with national and international players helps verify investments in high-quality conilon are practical and potentially rewarding. The use of the SCA grading scale may not best describe qualities unique to conilon but the cuppers in this experiment said they felt comfortable applying the arabica attributes in arriving at a comparable cupping score. Tough Cultivars Robusta originated in Africa and is grown in Asia (Vietnam is the world's largest produc- er accounting for 40%), Brazil (25%), Indo- nesia (15%), and India (6%) follow. It grows best at lower elevations in hot climates with regular annual rainfall. Hundreds of cultivars have been developed with an eye toward improving yield. In 1993 a hectare of conilon produced nine 60-kilo bags (540 kilos per hectare, 216 kilos per acre). In 1995 the scientific community dedi- cated their studies toward improving pro- ductivity and disease resistance. Accord- ing to Dr. Aymbiré Francisco Almeida da Fonseca, "Genetic improvement and better techniques of reproduction increased the yield by 300%. Today yields reach 60 bags per hectare (1,440 kilos per acre) with prop- erties in some regions registering 120 bags per hectare," he said. Conilon cultivars such as Marilandia, launched in 2017, proved to be the best choice for dry areas. According to INCAPER (Capixaba Research Institute, Technical As- sistance and Rural Extension), Marilandia trees yielded 60 bags per hectare during three years of severe drought in Espirito San- to. The promising result was registered with a rainfall of less than 50% when compared to regular conditions. In these rough conditions, other commercial conilon varieties produced only 20 bags during the drought. "With great performance in dry periods, it became very popular in some regions of Brazil such as Espirito Santo. An average of 70% or our coffee fields suffer from lack of water and [older varieties of] canephora ro- busta wouldn't survive," explains INCAPER scientist, Dr. Fonseca. Ripe cherry of the Coffea canephora, plant, a varietal is known as conilon in Brazil Photo Credit: Harley Kalk da Silva (courtesy of Venturim Farm)

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