Our 2025 Matcha Advent Calendar is available now !

Save with coupon code EARLYBIRt Canada (CAD $)

=Q The Roasters Pack CA O tZ7

ADVENTS & \y

2025 Coffee & Matcha Advents are here:

. .
25 days of coffee with 25 roasters, or 12 days of matcha from 12 unique matcha brands Our limited-edition advent calendars have officially launched Act quick before they sell
out .

Coffee Advent

20»
matcha
advent ©
calends'

Matcha Advent

SUBSCRIBE

GIFT s/

Gifting

Gift Guide

Gift Coffee Subscription

Matcha Tasting Flight

Shop All Collections

Advents

Matcha and Teas

Candles & Scrubs

Corporate Gifting

1
(
Need help? \/
 Coffee v

Subscribe

Upsize Your Subscription

Coffee Bags

Coffee & Gear \/

Brewers

Brewing Accessories

Filters

Grinders

Scales

Kettles

Serving Pitchers & Carafes

Cupping Gear

Coffee Water

Others \/

Merchandise

Drinkware

Books

Chocolate

Candles & Scrubs

Gift Bundles

MATCHA & TEA

Matcha v

Matcha

Matcha Accessories

Tea

Tea

Tea Accessories

LEARN

ROBUSTA VS ARABICA

1
10 differences Between
Robusta & Arabica Coffee
 0 3 mins

You may have noticed that some coffee bag labels brag about the fact that their coffee beans
are 100% Arabica. Although it does sound like something magicians say, it isn’t gibberish -
it refers to the type of coffee species in which the beans are from.

There are over 100 coffee species

However the two main ones that are widely produced and sold are:
Coffea Arabica and Coffea Canephora (also known as Coffea Robusta).

Here’s a list featuring 10 differences between the two coffee

species:
1. Taste
2. Caffeine Content
3. Lipid & Sugar Content
4. Price
5. Yield and Farming
6. Usage in Blends
7. Shape
8. Plant Height
9. Chlorogenic Acid (CGA) Content
10. Cultivation

1. Taste
Often Robusta has its taste described as burnt tires or rubbery, which ... sounds disgusting (can
you imagine one of our taste swatches on the front page being a burnt tire?). Why the bad taste?
One reason that the taste isn ' t as good for Robusta is that it has more caffeine compared to
Arabica. Which may sound like a positive thing but caffeine carries a bitter taste which makes it
an unpleasant drink

2. Caffeine Content
If you want your morning coffee to really wake you up , go for Robusta beans. They ' ve got more
caffeine, up to 2.7%, so they ' re strong and bitter. But if you like a smoother, sweeter brew that
1 gives you a gentle boost , Arabica beans are your best bet. They have less caffeine, about 1.5%.

3. Lipid & Sugar Content

 Arabica contains almost 60% more lipids and almost twice the concentration of sugar than
Robusta. This factor also probably has a big impact on why we prefer the taste of Arabica.

Click Here To View Chart

4. Price
From a price perspective, green beans of Robusta is about half the price of Arabica green beans
on the commodity market.

Robusta Daily Price Arabicas Daily Price

5. Yield and Farming

Robusta is easier to tend to on the farm, has a higher yield and is less sensitive to insects - the
extra caffeine is a chemical defense for the coffee seed as the quantity in the Robusta is toxic
to bugs.

All of these factors help bring up the supply and lower the input costs for farmers to produce.
With this more attractive price point , a lot of roasters back in the day would add Robusta to
their blend in an attempt to reduce their costs and increase their profits. When coffee was
initially sold in the 1900 s the quality of coffee slowly and slowly deteriorated in an effort for
companies to squeeze the most profit.

6. Usage in Blends
Where you’ll find it : Nowadays, it’s not often you’ll find Robusta in a coffee blend. If you’re
drinking instant coffee? Well, that’s probably all Robusta... but you probably don’t care very
much about taste. In your espresso blend? That ’s a mixed bag. Literally. Oddly enough, Robusta
is still widely used as part of espresso blends - specifically Italian style blends. It is said to help
improve the Crema. However, generally at a detriment to the taste, which in our opinion the
priorities may be out of wack.

One thing to note is despite the association with Arabica of being higher quality, and Robusta as
being lower quality, it’s not always the case. Top notch specialty Robusta coffee will usually
taste as good as or better than low end Arabica. However, high end Robusta isn’t widely used or
available. Rather, Robusta is usually used as a filler or cost reducer.

7. Shape
You can tell the difference between Arabica and Robusta coffee beans just by looking at their
shape and size. Arabica beans are oval, while Robusta beans are rounder. This is because
Arabica plants are shorter, so they produce the oval- shaped beans. On the other hand, Robusta
plants are taller, resulting in rounder beans. These visual differences in bean shape give us a
hint about the bigger variations between these types of coffee, including instant coffee.

8. Plant Height
Arabica usually grows between 2.5 - 4.5 meters compared to the 4.5 - 6 meter height of
Robusta.

9. Chlorogenic Acid (CGA) Content

Chlorogenic acids play a crucial role in shaping the taste and health attributes of coffee. Here
are essential details concerning CGAs in coffee:

• Robusta beans have a chlorogenic acid content between 7-10%

• Arabica beans contain chlorogenic acids at a slightly lower range, from 5.5 - 8%
• The variance in CGA levels can affect the overall flavor profiles experienced by drinkers
• Due to its higher concentration of CGAs, robusta coffee often presents a more pronounced
bitter taste.

10. Cultivation
About 75% of the world ’s coffee production is Arabica, about 25% being Robusta. Brazil is the
most significant Arabica producer and Vietnam produces the most Robusta.

Well, this post ended up being a bit more robust than intended.

# badpuns.
1
 P.S - Want to read some brewing tips for your coffees? We highly recommend this awesome
brew guide by Geoff Woodley, 2011/ 2012 Central Regional Barista Champion & former lead
coffee roaster at Detour Coffee !

Get the Brew Guide Here!

Bean Basics

What is Coffea Arabica

What is Coffea Canephora (Coffea Robusta)

< Our Coffee Collection ! >

View all

Only 2 left! Only 1 left!

nda Dukunde Kawa - Agro Roasters Ethiopia Sakicha - Cape Coffee (Cape El Indio - Epoch Chemistry (Moncton, NB) Paola' s Castillo - Epoch Chemistry
couver, BC) Broyle, NL) $11.50 (Moncton, NB)
50 $11.50 $11.50

Hello, fellow coffee nerd!

Stay in the loop with all the coffee news:

Enter your email

ILIKE COFFEE!

1
 0
FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OVER $45 ECO - FRIENDLY PACKAGING

Q
SUBSCRIBER PERKS GOT QUESTIONS?

NEWSLETTER
Sign up to get the latest on sales, new releases, subscriber perks, and more .

Enter email

Sign up

QUICK LINKS
About Us
Wholesale
FAQ
Shipment Schedule
Privacy Policy
Return Policy
Wanna Collab?
Contact Us

'AM
EX •Pay DISCOVER GPay HI shop V/SA

The Roasters Pack

# n@ o&

Canada (CAD $) ^

.
© 2025 The Roasters Pack POS and Ecommerce by Shopify