ROBUSTA 35
the Q Coffee System in Arabica producing countries. The programme also received invaluable support from the Uganda Coffee Development Authority (Henry Ngabirano). Sixty-three coffee professionals represent-
ing 18 different countries - including Brazil, Colombia, India, Indonesia, and Mexico - participated in one or all of the four work- shops over the 24 month long programme, totaling over 3,500 man-hours of effort. Samples from all of the major Robusta pro- ducing countries were cupped, graded and evaluated, and seven different testing methodologies for evaluating Robusta cup- pers were studied, evaluated and perfected.
During the process a number of key objec- tives were met: A protocol and cupping form for Fine Robusta coffee were developed. Standards for physical grading of Robusta coffees were established along with a Robusta Green Coffee Defect Classification System. Roasting profile methodologies for Robusta coffees were determined. An extensive cupping flavour vocabulary for Robusta coffees was created. The first eight Fine Robusta ‘R’ Graders in Uganda were certified.
The establishment of a bona fide standard for ‘Fine
Robusta Coffees’ to meet the marketplace requirements for this category of coffee will build quality awareness
among all Robusta producers There were a number of significant les-
sons learned during this process. The most important was that Fine Robusta coffees can in fact be differentiated by their country of ori- gin, just like Arabica coffees. The second and most surprising was that
Fine Robusta coffees can have appealing cup characteristics that yield cupping scores above 80+ points on a 100 point scale. The third and most appealing was that
Fine Robusta coffees have a complexity in their taste profiles that far surpass Arabica coffees due to their ‘Bitter/Sweet’ and ‘Salt/Acid’ taste attributes. And the fourth and most interesting was that Fine Robusta coffees are more difficult
to roast properly due to the need to devel- op a wider colour spread between the whole bean and ground colour measure- ments in order to bring out the full potential of their flavours.
Huge growth potential
The success of the Fine Robusta Coffee Workshops cannot be overstated. It clearly identified the potential for huge growth in the market place for this category of coffee and for growth based on quality not price. The success also clearly identified the
roadblock to improved Robusta prices: defects. All of the coffees cupped during the workshops had been cleaned and graded so that the defect counts were comparable to those for specialty Arabica grades, and consequently the flavour improvements in the Robusta coffees were striking. As a by-product of these workshops, the
The work- shops also helped establish a protocol and cupping form for Fine Robusta
Workshops held in Africa have helped establish quality standards for Robusta
coffee industry now has a set of training materials to use in a systematic approach for quality improvement in the Robusta coffee supply chain.
Next steps So where do we go from here? The next major step is to establish a Centre for Robusta Excellence whose purpose is twofold. First, to create the institutional struc- ture for training and certifying ‘R’ graders who can consistently identify and evaluate ‘fine’ quality Robusta coffees. This quality certification then becomes the
basis for establishing a differentiated market for high quality (Fine) Robusta coffees in much the same way that a differentiated market was developed for (Specialty) Arabica coffees. And second, to provide the research infra-
structure need to identify and understand the over-riding factors that create high quality Robusta coffees, such as plant varietals, soil conditions, micro-climates, husbandry, and processing methods. Fortunately, UCDA with the leadership of Henry Ngabirano, is well on their way to establishing this organisation.
Measuring
up in the cup So, will Fine Robusta measure up in the cup? From the beginning of the project the cuppers involved were committed to holding the standards for ‘Fine’ Robusta coffees to the same standards established for
‘Specialty’ Arabica coffees. This was true for both cupping scores and defect counts – ‘Fine’ Robusta coffees must score 80 or more points in their cupping score and con- tain 8 or fewer full defects per 350g sample. As anticipated, the greatest problem in
conducting the workshops was finding a large selection of high quality Robusta cof- fees. However, many good tasting Robusta coffees were found, particularly in Uganda, India, Brazil and Mexico. Is building a market for high quality
Robusta coffee possible? Yes, but it won’t be easy. Co-operation is needed from the pri- vate sector in Uganda, Brazil, India and Indonesia in order to develop the volumes of high quality Robusta coffees needed to establish a market niche. And just as in the early days of the specialty Arabica market, it will take time to develop the appropriate sup- ply chains.
Fortunately, the steps will be similar: Establish high quality standards Identify existing value-added Robusta cof- fees. Make a technology assessment of pro- duction schemes. Offer producer technical assistance. Develop competition/programmes to recognize excellence. Provide market access through internet- based trading.
The time is right to take this step and
the process is underway. Congratulations to everyone involved in
the programme. Ultimately, such a pro- gramme can be a game changer for Robusta coffee growers, just as specialty coffee programmes have been for produc- ers of Arabica. C&CI
May 2011 C&CI
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