Collection: Fine Robusta

Robusta has a bad name in India for a reason: most of it is grown for volume, processed carelessly and sold into instant. Fine robusta is the same species treated the way specialty arabica is treated, selectively picked, properly washed or fermented, graded and cupped. It carries roughly twice the caffeine, considerably more chlorogenic acid, and a heavier, lower-toned cup of dark chocolate, cereal and walnut with a thick body and almost no acidity.

Where it earns its place is crema and milk. A small proportion of good robusta in an espresso blend gives a denser, more stable crema and pushes flavour through a cappuccino in a way arabica alone struggles to manage. Brewed on its own, keep the dose lower than you would for arabica, because the extra solubles mean a standard ratio comes out heavy. Start at 55g per litre on filter rather than 60g, and use water off the boil rather than at it.

Several of these are experimental ferments; the wider range sits in all coffees.