Canephora and Robusta are often viewed negatively in the coffee industry, with robusta typically considered an inferior coffee. Many believe that robusta beans produce a lower-quality cup with a less appealing flavor profile. It’s cheaper for farmers to cultivate, more productive, naturally contains more caffeine, and is resistant to drought and disease. As a result, robusta is often seen as a “filler” coffee used in blends and instant products.
While this perception isn’t entirely wrong, there are many misconceptions. A common one is that robusta isn’t a separate coffee species; instead, it’s a widely recognized commercial name for the Coffea canephora plant. This article delves into the nature of Canephora and Robusta, the differences between conilon and robusta, and how the canephora plant might evolve in the future.
Canephora and Robusta: Understanding Their Role in Global Coffee Production
Canephora and Robusta coffee accounts for about 35% of global coffee production, according to the International Coffee Organization (ICO). Unlike arabica, canephora wasn’t cultivated outside of Africa until the 19th century, nearly 300 years later. This has led to less knowledge about its history, botanical details, and varieties compared to arabica.
Vietnam is the largest producer of canephora coffee globally, followed by Brazil, with Mexico being the only other Latin American country producing robusta on a significant scale. Other major canephora producers include the Ivory Coast, Indonesia, India, and Uganda.
Canephora and Robusta plants are generally more resilient than arabica, with greater productivity and more uniform cherry ripening. They also have a higher caffeine content and can be grown at lower altitudes, even as low as 100 meters above sea level, thriving in warmer, tropical climates.
Most of the demand for canephora/robusta coffee comes from large roasters and manufacturers, who use it in products like blends, capsules, and energy drinks. The ICO notes a growing demand for robusta, with robusta exports rising in the 12 months leading up to May 2020, even as arabica exports declined.
Distinguishing Between Robusta and Conilon Coffee
Coffea canephora, the species of coffee that produces what is commonly known as robusta, also encompasses a variant called conilon, particularly in Brazil. Despite being the same species, these two types of canephora are categorized into different genetic “groups.”
Christophe Montagnon, CEO of RD2 Vision, explains that conilon plants belong to the “SG1” genetic group, while the broader genetic group for robusta is known as “SG2.” According to Christophe, the Coffea canephora species includes various genetic groups, with one of the Congolese groups representing coffees from Central Africa, notably the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, which is widely recognized as robusta.
The other Congolese group, referred to as “SG1” or “conilon,” has a distinct genetic origin. Conilon plants, originally discovered near the Kouilou River in the Democratic Republic of Congo, were misnamed “Konilon” due to a misspelling, eventually becoming “conilon.”
While conilon and robusta plants share the same species and many traits, there are notable differences. Conilon plants tend to be shorter, have a larger canopy, mature earlier, possess smaller leaves, and show greater drought resistance compared to typical robusta plants.
In practice, both conilon and robusta plants are often cultivated together. In Brazil, for instance, producers may plant both types to achieve staggered harvests, as conilon plants mature at a different time than robusta, allowing for consecutive harvesting opportunities.
Exploring Canephora Hybrids
Dr. Aymbiré Francisco Almeida, a scientist with extensive experience from the Brazilian National Coffee Research Consortium Center (Embrapa) and Incaper, has studied Canephora and Robusta for three decades. He notes that one major challenge with canephora hybrids and cultivars is the species’ tendency for open fertilization, which means there are no pure lines as seen with arabica coffee. This complexity makes it challenging to trace the genetic lineage of specific hybrid varieties.
Nonetheless, some arabica varieties do incorporate genes from the Canephora and Robusta species. Examples include Icatu, Sarchimos, and Catimor, among others.
Enhancing Quality in Canephora and Robusta Coffee
Canephora coffees are often blended with arabica to enhance strength and caffeine content. According to Aymbiré Francisco Almeida, blending high-quality canephora with arabica can bring notable benefits, such as improved body and crema capacity, which are characteristic of canephora coffee.
Consumer preferences today are more influenced by flavor and personal taste rather than the specific species or varieties. Ted Lingle and Sunalini Menon, authors of The Craft and Science of Coffee, point out that there has been limited research on the individual sensory attributes of canephora.
The coffee industry is seeing a rise in high-quality robusta. Quality standards across all coffee types have become more stringent, reflecting advancements in genetics, crop management, harvesting, and processing over the past 30 years. Aymbiré notes that even less meticulous canephora producers now adhere to basic quality practices such as washing, peeling, and pulping coffee, as maintaining minimum standards is essential.
However, this emphasis on quality presents challenges. High-quality canephora often requires manual harvesting, as mechanized methods can damage the cherries. Additionally, many canephora plants have multiple stems, which makes machine harvesting less practical.
The Rise of Specialty Canephora and Robusta Coffee
Producers have discovered that when Canephora and Robusta coffees are cultivated and processed with the same precision as specialty arabica, they can yield a rich and flavorful cup. Specialty canephora can feature high acidity, medium sweetness, and low bitterness. A well-crafted and roasted canephora often presents a full-bodied profile with a lingering aftertaste, moderate acidity, and bitterness. Some varieties are noted for their complex flavor notes, including spices, floral hints, and fruits such as melon, walnut, nutmeg, and cacao.
Canephora can be processed, dried, and fermented similarly to arabica, though each step’s timing must be adjusted to accommodate the fruit’s unique characteristics. Additionally, roasting methods need to be adapted, as canephora cherries have lower sugar content, fewer acids, and a denser, “meatier” structure.
In 2010, the Coffee Quality Institute introduced the Q Robusta program, focusing on quality grading for robusta, based on the Specialty Coffee Association’s arabica methodology. Since 2018, Brazil’s Specialty Coffee Association has included canephora producers as members and annually hosts the Canephora Cup of Excellence.
Specialty robustas from the Amazon region of Rondônia, Brazil, will be the first globally to receive a geographical indication (GI), recognizing their unique origin qualities. Beyond Brazil, high-quality canephora is also produced in countries such as Ghana, Ecuador, the Philippines, India, and Thailand.
The Future of Canephora and Robusta Coffee
World Coffee Research and the International Coffee Organization (ICO) are spearheading research programs to explore the quality potential of Canephora and Robusta. These initiatives aim to challenge the prevailing assumption that robusta coffees are inherently of lower quality. Given that robusta is a naturally resilient plant, its future could become more promising, particularly in the face of climate change impacts on arabica plants.
Recent studies by Embrapa indicate that certain canephora cultivars might be well-suited for diverse altitudes and climates, potentially broadening its cultivation regions. Canephora genetic material has been shown to be adaptable from altitudes of 500 to about 1,500 meters above sea level. Additionally, cooler climates at specific elevations have been observed to enhance fruit quality, resulting in sweeter and larger cherries. Similar research in India has also yielded positive outcomes.
Beyond the coffee industry, there may be growing interest in canephora due to its naturally high caffeine content, making it suitable for use in cosmetics, dietary supplements, isotonic drinks, and energy beverages.
The distinct differences in flavor profiles and cup attributes between canephora and arabica are seen by many in the specialty coffee sector as a major challenge to robusta’s success. Numerous researchers and producers are exploring the quality potential of various canephora subspecies and experimenting with them to enhance arabica crops’ yield and disease resistance.
For canephora to gain acceptance in the specialty coffee world, it is crucial for buyers, traders, and roasters to collaborate with researchers and producers working on improving the quality of Canephora and Robusta.