Robusta...the dirty little bean?
We know of it's higher caffeine content and it's crema producing ability, but what about the taste? Do you want it as a single origin coffee or added to a blend. Sure alot depends on the particular coffee bean itself, where it's from, how it was processed and all the other factors that go into how a coffee is evaluated.
There are those that say, "all I want is Arabica, Robusta is for cans of grocery store crap!", both so called proffesionals and consumers alike. On the other side you have the Italian roasters who don't consider any blend a true espresso blend unless it contains some percentage of Robusta. They spend considerable amounts of time and resources searching for Robusta coffees to add to their blends.
What do I think? I think Robusta can be an important element in a espresso blend. I believe it can serve a purpose other than raising caffeine levels and boosting crema. Very good Robusta's can add flavor elements to a espresso blend that other coffees cannot.
I'm not saying that Robusta is essential to an espresso blend, but with the right one(s) it sure can be a positive for certain applications.
We now have a new blend for espresso! We call it the "ROCKETBOOSTA" espresso blend. We use a mixture of Arabica and Robusta coffees, roasted a little darker for this amazing blend.
Try some...
