Thread: Coffee Enthusiasts

For many many years the outfits that made good coffee brewing equipment in Europe refused to sell their gear in the U.S because they felt Americans had to clue as to what good coffee was and preferred bad coffee. Of course that has changed in the last several years with all the outfits that have been established and of course they sell all kinds of great gear now.

Robusta is used mainly in countries where folks can't afford Arabica coffee especially SE Asia and Viet Nam.

I roast my own beans and I buy from Sweet Maria's. Typical green beans go for between five and eight bucks a pound depending on where it comes from and quality. Robusta goes for a buck a pound when they carry it.

Robusta is not quality coffee and if you go to a small roast outfit and look for it you probably won't find it.

it's like my friend who loves his Yugo and thinks it's the best car in the world. If you like Robusta there's nothing wrong with that but it's just not quality coffee.

it's not just my opinion. it's a well known fact in coffee circles. Research it.

Funny how they call it Robusta which makes it sound like it should be awesome...but I guess that's better than crapista.

They call it Robusta because it's like a weed-very Robust. It practically grows wild and takes no care. it's often used as a shade tree for other coffee plants. The mass producers of coffee like general foods love it because it's dirt cheap and they can blend it with their coffee.

it's a similar situation with Cinnamon. Most Cinnamon used is Viet Nam Cinnamon and is the equivalent of Robusta Coffee. Instead of being crammed with caffein it naturally contains the active ingredient that Coumadin is made from (a potent blood thinner). The good Cinnamon is Ceylon Cinnamon which contains little of the blood thinner ingredient and has a more delicate and complex flavor. The Viet Nam stuff is what is commonly used in baking.

In typical bake products the amount used isn't a problem but some folks take Cinnamon as a herbal and if you start taking a couple teaspoons of the stuff a day it can do a number on you if you take the Viet Nam variety.

I'm going to have to buy some Ceylon cinnamon someday.

Originally Posted by thebigspendur

For many many years the outfits that made good coffee brewing equipment in Europe refused to sell their gear in the U.S because they felt Americans had to clue as to what good coffee was and preferred bad coffee. Of course that has changed in the last several years with all the outfits that have been established and of course they sell all kinds of great gear now.

Robusta is used mainly in countries where folks can't afford Arabica coffee especially SE Asia and Viet Nam.

I roast my own beans and I buy from Sweet Maria's. Typical green beans go for between five and eight bucks a pound depending on where it comes from and quality. Robusta goes for a buck a pound when they carry it.

Robusta is not quality coffee and if you go to a small roast outfit and look for it you probably won't find it.

it's like my friend who loves his Yugo and thinks it's the best car in the world. If you like Robusta there's nothing wrong with that but it's just not quality coffee.

it's not just my opinion. it's a well known fact in coffee circles. Research it.

Some pretty sweeping statements. For anyone who wants to know what the folks at Sweet Maria's have to say about Robusta beans, here's a link to their "Blending Basics" article:

Sweet Maria's "Blending Basics"

Some excerpts:

"Robustas, or coffea canephora, are used in some blends to increase body, produce crema and add a particular bite to the cup."

"Finally, there is the Robusta! It MUST be a clean washed type robusta that cups well on it's own. These are NOT easy to find, and are often more expensive than arabicas. We relied on India parchment robustas for this."

And last, here's Sweet Maria's own recipe for "Classic Italian Espresso":

• 70% Brazil (a blend of a clean dry-processed coffee and a pulped natural one)
• 15% Central America (El Salvador bourbon or balanced Guatemala for instance)
• 15% Robusta (clean, washed)

If price is any indication of coffee-bean quality, I recently purchased two pounds of "Indian Cherry Robusta" from Burman Coffee Traders, @$4.90/lb (hat-tip to Geezer), and the one pound of "India Robusta - Jeelan Estate Nirali" (you have to search for it on the page) that I purchased from Sweet Maria's back in 2009 cost me more. I corresponded with a coffee-bean importer not long ago, who quoted me $2/lb for Robusta, with the caveat that "...but is probably institution coffee, not very tasty." I guess we get what we pay for.

Note: I recommend reading the Sweet Maria's review of that India Robusta -- there's a lot of information, not only about the specific bean, but of Robusta in general, and how to incorporate it into a blend for espresso or French press brewing.

Interesting reads.
Thanks gents.

Tried cardomom pods in my mokka pot this morning - i think 4 was too many, the weird thing is that the cardomom taste is getting stronger the further down the cup i get but it was obviously poured from the pot in one go

Originally Posted by edhewitt

Tried cardomom pods in my mokka pot this morning - i think 4 was too many, the weird thing is that the cardomom taste is getting stronger the further down the cup i get but it was obviously poured from the pot in one go

I've never heard of this. And it sounds very interesting. Do you buy the pods and then grind them yourself?
I should see if I can find cardamom around here...

Originally Posted by edhewitt

Tried cardomom pods in my mokka pot this morning - i think 4 was too many, the weird thing is that the cardomom taste is getting stronger the further down the cup i get but it was obviously poured from the pot in one go

You might be interested in "Hawaij" (חוואיג, in Hebrew); the second mixture for coffee -- ginger, cardamom, cloves, and cinnamon -- is what's most-commonly used in Israel. We would add it to run-of-the-mill Turkish coffee, when brewing it; and, in a pinch, to instant coffee. It's also a good way to use-up older, out-of-date spices.

That exciting moment