Why is Robusta Coffee bad? Or why is Arabica better than Robusta?

You’ve definitely heard the saying Arabica is Better than Robusta but why do people say this?

Robusta is not bad and Arabica is not good – they’re different species of coffee and they have different tastes.

That’s the short answer.

By saying something tastes “bad” we’re making a subjective statement.  Different people like different things and some prefer one over the other. I’m not trying to be flakey and avoid committing to one answer, but I personally think we’re brainwashed into thinking:

“I only drink 100% Arabica”

When I hear that crap it makes me laugh inside.  So I’ll usually make it my mission to have them try a cappuccino using Grandissimo without announcing the presence of Robusta.

What happens next?

These same people REALLY enjoy the blend found in Grandissimo, they praise it, ask how much it is, ask where the Coffee is from, and then mute their surprise when they find out it has 20% Robusta.

On a side note, I want to point out that all the other Coffees we have are 100% Arabica. Why?  Because this is what people want.

So to get back to answering this question:

• Theoretically taste is subjective and we shouldn’t make a decision based on what we’ve been marketed
• In practice we only carry one coffee that contains Robusta – so from what I’ve seen in business Arabica wins

What are your thoughts on this? Is Arabica better than Robusta? Have you ever tried a 100% robusta drink? Throw your opinion down in the Comments Box below and let us know.