If you don’t know who Canephora is, let me introduce you. Canephora’s full name is Coffea Canephora, otherwise also known as Robusta. Now you’re probably thinking, why the hell is The Coffeevine talking about Robusta? It’s so not tasty nor elegant. But that’s exactly why this blog post is dedicated to that topic.

For the longest time, I thought the same way about Canephora. I only drank it when I was out of specialty Arabica coffee and I was desperate for a caffeine hit. This usually happened when I was grabbing a coffee at some Italian airport or in a hotel room. But the truth is, Robusta has been getting quite a make over in recent years and that is why I am doing a very special limited release this May, offering two really tasty lots from Chunky Cherry in Amsterdam.

Canephora vs. Arabica

To paint a clearer picture, let me explain what the difference is between these two species. When most people think of good quality coffee, they think of Arabica. Its trees grow at higher altitudes and its cherries develop more sugar content, which later translates into more complex and sweeter coffee. Robusta, on the other hand, is traditionally seen as lower grade, often used in blends for espresso and associated with more earthy, bitter notes.

Based on 2024 figures, Arabica made up approximately 60% of global coffee production while Robusta made up the rest. Smaller species like Liberica and others are almost neglible in comparison but have also started to garner more interest.

Over the centuries, Arabica has been cultivated and researched to a degree that we can now safely say that this species is well understood. It has been the subject of much experimentation and cross-breeding. Robusta on the other hand is relatively poorly understood and has only recently received more attention from scientists and researchers.

What is important to note is that Arabica is very prone to pests and disease while Robusta is very hardy and resistant. Furthermore, because Arabica grows much better in higher altitudes, it is more prone to suffer more from the effects of climate change. This consideration is what is also driving a growing interest in other coffee species.

The ugly duckling gets a makeover

While the whole world developed an addiction to the highest quality Arabica lots and got high on sometimes borderline insane processing, Canephora kept humming along without much fanfare. However, in recent years, some producers in various countries have begun to grow higher quality lots, employing more innovative processing methods to bring out more distinct flavours and some Canephora lots have even been used in Coffee Competitions.

One example was the recent Dutch Brewers Cup entry from Chunky Cherry co-founder Mikolaj Pociecha who used a lot from Kiva Estate in Panama for his performance. This had never been done before and to think he’d come in 3rd place with a non-Arabica species would have been unthinkable a few years ago.

That just goes to show how much has changed. There are now producers like Reza Norullah in Indonesia who model themselves on the likes of Diego Bermudez from Colombia who is synonymous with innovative and experimental Arabica processing that has changed our perception of what’s possible.

There is no reason that Canephora cannot achieve its own reinvention at the hand of visionary producers like these. Though Canephora is much trickier to make taste exciting, this is only true if you compare it directly with Arabica using the same metrics for quality. That is why we need a bit of a shift in how we think about Canephora.

Highlighting the qualities, not the shortcomings

It all begins with developing an appreciation for Canephora’s strengths. This starts with its inherent hardiness and resistance to pests. Its cultivation is much less water-intensive and can happen at much lower altitudes, sometimes even at sea level, however, the majority of production takes place somwhere 200 – 800masl.

This allows for Canephora to be cultivated in completely different regions, giving coffee buyers access to a wider range of origins. However, it must be noted that the switch to specialty grade Canephora won’t be easy simply because it will require a lot of investment, patience and research before farmers are willing to sacrifice immediate revenue for future gains.

What’s more, we need to learn to appreciate Canephora’s flavour characteristics independently of Arabica’s because technically, you’re comparing apples to pears. While Arabica offers more delicate, sweeter and fruitier cups, Canephora is better known for chocolate and nutty notes with richer body. It also has a lower caffeine content.

A first for The Coffeevine

One of the most popular stands at the recent Amsterdam Coffee Festival was the one belonging to Chunky Cherry, a relatively new roastery from Amsterdam. It was co-founded by Inge Bulthuis of Back to Black fame and Mikolaj who previously lived and worked in Germany where he also competed in the German barista championships. Mikolaj has written two books on Canephora, which aim to provide more education on the matter. With Chunky Cherry, they want to make high quality Canephoras more accessible to the masses.

At the festival, I spoke with the team about my interest in doing a limited release with two Canephoras that we’d choose in a private cupping a few days later. They loved the idea of this potential partnership and promptly invited me to their roastery to have a taste. I was particularly enamoured by a lactic washed lot from Indonesia and a slow dried anaerobic natural lot from Panama, both of which made it into the special release set coming in May.

After many months of thinking about doing something like this, the moment has finally come and I’m particularly excited to be working with this pioneering local roaster to bring you this unique release. Be sure to visit our shop to order yours today!