Robusta Coffee From Vietnam
Vietnam is the second-largest coffee producer globally, but you can be forgiven for not realising it.
While Brazilian, Ethiopian, or Costa Rican beans have been a staple in Western coffee shops for some time, Vietnamese coffee has not made a name for itself outside of Vietnam.
This can largely be attributed to the type of coffee grown in Vietnam. While the other countries mentioned above produce primarily Arabica beans, Robusta is the leading coffee variety in Vietnam.
Arabica is seen as a high-quality bean suitable for espresso drinks, whereas Robusta has been used for less glamorous purposes, such as instant coffee production.
This stereotype of Robusta beans is changing, though, with producers such as Belvico bringing high-quality Robusta beans to the world.
But what is Robusta coffee like, and why is it so different from the Arabica beans from other major producers? Let’s take a closer look at this exciting coffee variety.
Grown in The Central Highlands
The primary coffee-producing region in Vietnam is the Central Highlands in the south-west of the country.
This high altitude region is centred on the city of Dalat, which was used in the recent past as a mountain retreat for French colonists based in Ho Chi Minh City.
Because of this region’s high altitude, it is much cooler than the lowlands near the ocean. Combined with rich volcanic soils, this also provides the perfect environment for growing coffee.
The French colonists introduced robusta beans, and the rest is history. Vietnam is now the largest producer of Robusta beans and the world’s overall second largest coffee producer.
High Caffeine Content
There are several differences between Robusta and Arabica beans, but the caffeine content is the single biggest one.
Robusta beans have, on average double the caffeine content of Arabica beans. With caffeine being naturally bitter, this makes Robusta beans bitter in comparison to Arabica.
Over time, this led to Robusta beans being over-roasted out of the belief that this would mask the bitterness of the caffeine.
The high caffeine content also makes the Robusta beans ideal for processing into instant coffee or pure caffeine.
Over time, the primarily industrial use of Vietnams Robusta beans meant that the quantity produced became far more important than quality.
However, Robusta beans do have a unique taste that can be brought out when roasted correctly.
Unique Taste
High quality, well-roasted Robusta coffee tends to have many deep and earthy flavours that can create amazingly unique cups of coffee.
Earthy, nutty, molasses and dark chocolate, creamy are all commonly used to describe the taste and smell of these beans.
The key, however, to achieving this is using high-quality beans and roasting them well. Belvico works directly with farmers in the Central Highlands to grow and select only the best Robusta beans.
These are then roasted to perfection in their roasting facility, ensuring you will experience the best of Robusta beans.
Try High-Quality Robusta for Yourself
To try the very best that Robusta beans have to offer, get yourself some of Belvicos’ fantastic coffee. This single-origin, artisan coffee will open your eyes to the world of Robusta coffee.
