Ratio of Robusta to Arabica in Espresso Blends?

[timo888]

What's the typical ratio of robusta beans to arabica in the more well-known espresso blends? Any 100% arabica blends available mail order?
Regards
Timo

[another_jim]

Here's the blend sheet of a large Italian importer:

http://tinyurl.com/kcyvf

Fifteeen different blends, premixed for small roasters, maintained consistently year to year, going from 0% to 100% robusta. This is what the business looks like when straight shots are the everyday coffee of a country.

[timo888]

Thanks for the very interesting link, Jim. It's not often one finds volcanic in the same sentence with the phrase custard pie balsam.

Regards
Timo

P.S. Any HB sponsors out there offering a 100% arabica espresso blend roasted in the Northern style?

[luca]

Thanks for the very interesting link, Jim. It's not often one finds volcanic in the same sentence with the phrase custard pie balsam.

Hahaha ... I came back to this post just to post the same thing!

[another_jim]

Rocket's is arabica only; I'm sure Caffe Fresco does some without robusta, along with a Daterra SO. Paradise has lots of SOs.

[timo888]

Thanks for the Rocket tip, Jim.

As for Paradise, yes, I've been ordering the SOs from them (and from Terroir) and they're very good, although new beans don't come on line as frequently as I'd like.

I had blends in mind. I was thinking there might be some 100% arabica blends out there with the beans not chosen to stand up in milk or to a good cigar but with the interplay of floral notes with fruit and spice in mind. Not the espresso equivalent of a good port, that is, but of a noble Riesling Spatlese with 5% Gewurztraminer added for some zing.
Regards
Timo

[another_jim]

I had blends in mind. I was thinking there might be some 100% arabica blends out there with the beans not chosen to stand up in milk or to a good cigar but with the interplay of floral notes with fruit and spice in mind. Not the espresso equivalent of a good port, that is, but of a noble Riesling Spatlese with 5% Gewurztraminer added for some zing.
Regards
Timo

Not a sponsor here; but Coffee Metropolis's Redline should be close: peach with a touch of cinnamon and ceder. If you want it more intense, try the Adado Yrg Paradise is selling now; which smells like a whole peach orchard. It's only drawback for espresso is by the time you've done sniffing it, the shot is cold. The Heche Sidamo is more Tauriga Nacional -- cherry, plum and chocolate.

As to your Hock/Alsace cross dream shot; the only thing that could do it is an Ethiopian or Geisha. As soon as I taste one that's got citrus, peach, botrytis honey, petrol nose, and Gewuerz cinnamon/slate you'll be the first to know (after I bought my 10 pounds worth).

[jason_casale]

We classico coffee use 10 percent robusta to 90 percent arabicas in our espresso.
It works out well 15 percent was just to much for us. I think in other roasters you will find 10 to 15 percent as a general rule.

[cannonfodder]

In my home blends I never go over 10%. Most of my blends are 100% Arabica. My standing house blend is 40% Brazil yellow bourbon, 30% Harar Fendishe, 20% Java estate Slawan, and 10% PNG peaberry, don't remember the farm. It was the last few pounds Barry had. Then I play with the percentages to suite my mood.

Works good in milk provided you are making traditional cappas and not big gulp 60oz latte's.

[danblev]

There was an old thread somewhere that divided Espresso people to those that use Robusta and those that don't.
And if you are drinking anything else it is only 100% Arabica.

In my case I use only 100% Arabica.
For me the taste of Robusta is like tasteless rubber.

[SL28ave]

In my case I use only 100% Arabica.
For me the taste of Robusta is like tasteless rubber.

Same here, every time. I was getting sulphur parallel to rotten eggs in the last award winning Robusta I tasted. Though, to me, most Arabicas are nothing to sing about either.

I'll save the long editorial. But I think that absurd, yet beguiling and powerful, hype runs much of the "specialty" coffee world.

[CaffeFresco]

Fresco IS Pure Arabica.

I'll save the long editorial. But I think that absurd, yet beguiling and powerful, hype runs much of the "specialty" coffee world.

Peter, as a young roaster & businessman I do value what you have to say, & I'd love to hear at least one prime example of what you think is the hype that runs much of the Specialty Coffee World ~ pray tell away.

TonyS

[King Seven]

Same here, every time. I was getting sulphur parallel to rotten eggs in the last award winning Robusta I tasted. Though, to me, most Arabicas are nothing to sing about either.

Thats right - it's all about coffea stenophylla these days baby......

[paradiseroasters]

the so called purple coffee? is this being commercially grown anywhere? has any one actually seen it let alone tasted coffees produced from it. I've only heard of it being in government varietal collections

[SL28ave]

Fresco IS Pure Arabica.



Peter, as a young roaster & businessman I do value what you have to say, & I'd love to hear at least one prime example of what you think is the hype that runs much of the Specialty Coffee World ~ pray tell away.

TonyS

Yikes, I have to back up what I say?!? You're taking off my muzzle?

(Hype is easy for anyone to claim. My hype isn't Joe's hype. So my position on hype is inherently vulnerable. Many constraints make it impossible to find a healthy resolution without great struggle. So I'm barely interested in arguing any of this here and now.)

I relate a lot to my new school vision of coffee heaven, which helps me define something as hype. Here're two examples that come to mind now.

1. Most specialty coffees are praised. Most specialty coffees are ruined somewhere from seed to cup.

Ruiners (Makers when they're tended to): seed, cultivar, planting method, pruning, altitude, temperature, soil, rains, nutrition, microbiology, harvest method, sorting, ripeness, separations, process method, drying, cup analysis, cupping, parchment storage, transport, warehouse storage, roast (and its 50 variables), grind size, brew dynamics, strength, perverse preconceptions... and all the other "ruiners" I'm missing... How can I say what I want to without being condescending? I can't. So many people act like they're experts when we're mostly very clueless; everyone. So most specialty coffees are hype. Variations of the same "Liquid Muzaq" and John Cage. Seriously worse than where the wine industry was 100 years ago or longer! All together now: let's self-flagellate! .........

2. Anti-SO notions.

Sheer misinformation is another form of hype. Moving forward will involve the deconstruction of that kind of hype, which should always be a relief!

------

Please don't take my negativity for granted. The negativity stemmed from thinking about Robustas. As opposed to a great Bourbon. I live for that great sip of a perfect brew, probably from Kenya, and I love its world.

Thats right - it's all about coffea stenophylla these days baby......

Yeah, all about the Stenophylla. Purple fruit are so pretty! What else matters?

[TUS172]

One interesting home blend that I have used for lattes for my wife is with 10% Vietnamese (Arabica) well that is what it was advertised as but I now know it was a robusta. (gambling on Ebay) I roast it to a full city+ darkness. It makes for an interesting kick and I love it for show; my friends are amazed to see the crema (90+%) when I pull one. But as a straight espresso shot it needs some sweetener because it can be pretty sharp... Even with an excellent Brazilian and Costa Rican base blend...
I use it for some coffee blends at a 10% rate also... I have to use up the 50 lbs I purchased. It is almost gone now and I doubt that I will play with robustas anymore. For years I have used Indian Monsooned Malabar at a 10% blending with other coffees and been extremely pleased with the results. Oh well, its all in what your palate prefers isn't it?

[timo888]

There was an old thread somewhere that divided Espresso people to those that use Robusta and those that don't.
And if you are drinking anything else it is only 100% Arabica.

In my case I use only 100% Arabica.
For me the taste of Robusta is like tasteless rubber.

I am not against robusta on principle though I have smelled the brimstone. Months ago, I pulled a delicious lungo with Paradise Roaster's India Sitara ground fairly coarsely, tamped quite heavily, and pulled fairly gently on my Caravel.

Regards
Timo

[Arto]

Everything from 0 % to 100 % is pretty common

The best ones of the commercial blends I have tasted have always had some robusta. Like Mauro De Luxe with ~ 10 % robusta is a very nice traditional espresso to my taste. Mauro's Onda d'Oro and Concerto are two blends with higher robusta-percentages and are very nice. There are also some 100 % arabica blends the folks here in Sweden are enjoying. Like Johan & Nystroms 5 Estate. The more common mainstream blends from Danesi should have a fair amount of robusta too (no fact).

Greetings from Sweden

[poison]

Yikes, I have to back up what I say?!? You're taking off my muzzle?

(Hype is easy for anyone to claim. My hype isn't Joe's hype. So my position on hype is inherently vulnerable. Many constraints make it impossible to find a healthy resolution without great struggle. So I'm barely interested in arguing any of this here and now.)

I relate a lot to my new school vision of coffee heaven, which helps me define something as hype. Here're two examples that come to mind now.

1. Most specialty coffees are praised. Most specialty coffees are ruined somewhere from seed to cup.

Ruiners (Makers when they're tended to): seed, cultivar, planting method, pruning, altitude, temperature, soil, rains, nutrition, microbiology, harvest method, sorting, ripeness, separations, process method, drying, cup analysis, cupping, parchment storage, transport, warehouse storage, roast (and its 50 variables), grind size, brew dynamics, strength, perverse preconceptions... and all the other "ruiners" I'm missing... How can I say what I want to without being condescending? I can't. So many people act like they're experts when we're mostly very clueless; everyone. So most specialty coffees are hype. Variations of the same "Liquid Muzaq" and John Cage. Seriously worse than where the wine industry was 100 years ago or longer! All together now: let's self-flagellate! .........

2. Anti-SO notions.

Sheer misinformation is another form of hype. Moving forward will involve the deconstruction of that kind of hype, which should always be a relief!

------

Please don't take my negativity for granted. The negativity stemmed from thinking about Robustas. As opposed to a great Bourbon. I live for that great sip of a perfect brew, probably from Kenya, and I love its world.

Bwaahaahaaa, how did I miss this post? :snorffle:


I'll buy that, at least most of it. I'd like to hear your 'all bets off, condescending' version. Here: :holds out personal flame suit:

[SL28ave]

Bwaahaahaaa, how did I miss this post? :snorffle:


I'll buy that, at least most of it. I'd like to hear your 'all bets off, condescending' version. Here: :holds out personal flame suit:

Yeah, a lot of it should be bought in to but I definitely want to approach things in a better, more proper fashion from now on. Sorry if I offended anyone; and sorry for boring you with a very slight change of mind.