Vietnam – Lam Dong, Wet Polished Robusta

When it comes to Robusta coffee these is a lot of controversy, and honestly some of it really isn’t worth touching at all, but over the last few years there has been a huge focus on establishing high-grade ‘speciality robusta’, and that’s where the story behind this little beauty comes from. Vietnam is the second largest coffee growing origin in the world (after Brazil), producing over around 30 million 60kg sacks of coffee a year. Unlike Brazil however, virtually all of this production is of the Robusta varietal coffee, which is a hardy species of the coffee plant, able to grow at much lower altitude and yield much high volume of cherries compared to it’s Arabica counterpart. With that in mind what better place to start in further developing the quality of Robusta than in the place its been so heavily placed in years?

Origin & Growing Conditions
Over 600,000 hectares of land in Vietnam is dedicated to coffee production, 85% of which comes from family-owned farms. Nearly 650,000 familes grow coffee on plots of land less than one hectare in size. Primarily, this particular coffee comes from the Central Highlands, an area with high elevations and volcanic soil in Vietnam. Surprisingly, this area is responsible for about 80% of the country’s Robusta production. The Lam Dong Province sits highly in the Central Highlands, and is the source of this coffee. Producers will generally grow tea and tropical fruits in conjunction with their coffee.

The Wet Polishing Process
The term ‘Wet Polish’ refers to a specialist process only carried out in Vietnam on Robusta coffee. The initial process is the same as the washed process whereby the coffee beans are hulled from the cherry after picking, but as an additional step for wet polishing, the coffee beans are placed into a high-pressure pump system that continuously sprays mist to create mutual friction between the beans. This friction peels off the remaining silverskin, making the surface more glossy, or more ‘polished’ if you prefer. After the polishing process is complete, a post-friction cooling process is carried out to preserve quality. Compared to conventional dry-processed Robusta, wet-polished beans are cleaner, freer of impurities, and more uniform.

Flavour notes
Let’s not beat around the bush, Robusta coffee on the whole does hit differently to Arabica. It’s not as juicy or sweet smelling as it’s dreamy cousin, but what it lacks in brightness it makes up for in depth and intensity, and some people love that from a coffee – in which case this one is for you!

Expect mild acidity and a heavy body, with nutty flavour and bold earthy tones. The wet polishing process helps reduce some of the bitterness and astringency commonly associated with Robusta, resulting in a smoother, cleaner flavor profile overall. You may also pick up on hints of dark chocolate, almond nuts, spicy nutmeg and woody undertones akin to freshly sawn cedar

As a coffee it scores Q-Grade of 81 points, which makes it a ‘speciality robusta’ for it’s efforts.

Caffeine Boosting
Expect this coffee to deliver a buzz. Robusta is typically higher in caffeine content than it’s Arabica cousin, sometimes up to 1.5 times the caffeine.

Coffee Info:

Tasting Notes: Heavy body with notes of almond, nutmeg, cacao nibs and cedar.
Region: Lam Dong, Vietnam
Altitude: 800-1100m masl
Varietal: Robusta (Canephora)
Process: Wet Polished
Roast Level: Medium/Dark
Best for: Espresso, Mokka Pot, Aeropress

Brew Ratios:

Espresso: 18g in, 36g coffee out in 28-32 seconds.
Filter / v60: 16g coffee, 280ml water, 4 mins brew time.
French Press (cafetiere) 15g coffee, 300ml water, 3.30 mins brew time.
Aeropress (Inverted method): 15g coffee, 1 min 100ml bloom, 150ml, plunge slowly @ 3 mins for 30 seconds.

Note: If ordering ground for Aeropress, we recommend ordering filter grind.