Robusta vs arabica

Almost all the coffee in the world comes from two species. They grow in different places, taste different and even look different in the bag.

Two species, two personalities

Arabica (Coffea arabica) likes altitude and cool nights; it is delicate, sweeter and brighter. Robusta (Coffea canephora) grows lower and warmer, shrugs off pests and heat, and gives bigger harvests.

Taste and caffeine

Robusta has nearly twice the caffeine of arabica and less sugar, so it tastes stronger and more bitter, with dark chocolate and nutty notes and a thick crema. Arabica leans to fruit, florals and acidity.

Why Vietnam grows robusta

Vietnam is the world's largest robusta producer, and most of its crop is robusta, grown on the Central Highlands plateau in Đắk Lắk, Gia Lai, Đắk Nông and Lâm Đồng. The Vietnamese cup is built around it: strong phin coffee that stands up to condensed milk and ice.

Fine robusta

A growing number of farms treat robusta like specialty arabica: ripe-only picking, careful drying, honey and washed processing. The result is a sweeter, cleaner robusta, and it is changing what people expect the species can taste like.

Which should you buy?

• For cà phê sữa đá and strong black coffee: robusta, like Buôn Ma Thuột Robusta.
• For a softer cup that still takes milk: a blend of the two, like Sài Gòn Morning.
• For single-origin arabica: we don't roast one at the moment, but the Vietnamese brands we stock include arabica blends.