Sunday, October 19, 2003


roast color religion; robusta convictions

recently i had the great privilege to speak to dr. joseph john, of josuma coffee and cult-espresso malabar gold fame.

this is a controversial coffee, because it contains robusta; some say the good doctor mixes kaapi royale in with his superb indian arabicas.

there are many -- including the coffee luminary, he-who-cannot-be-denied, don schoenholt of gillies, the 8-armed, all-knowing, avatar of specialty coffee himself -- who claim that robusta is a problem, not a solution, in espresso. and long-time readers well know that i venerate him.

robusta defenders note that it can add useful properties to an espresso blend. and indeed, robusta is traditional in many beloved traditional italian espresso coffees. what does robusta supposedly do for espresso?

not only does it enhance crema production and longevity, but it adds to the caffeine content for those who demand a jolt in their espresso. further, in blends made to be used with large amounts of milk, the robusta helps carry a coffee flavor through it.

robusta supporters say that it also adds to the body or thickness of the coffee, as well. arabica lovers will have none of it, and pish-tosh all these statements.

i won't enter into this debate myself; everyone knows what espressos i love best.

let me note only that when i have discussed this espresso in the past, i have usually linked to whole latte love, which sells malabar gold here in new york state. when you buy it from the ever-lovin' todd, you get an oily, dark roast coffee.

however, after talking to dr. john, he himself sent me a pound; packaged in a lovely black one-way valve bag with a picture of the leaning tower of pisa, and a perfectly stamped "born-on" roast date on the back.

when you open this coffee, you find it's lightly roasted in a northern italian style; very illy, actually, in color. much lighter than the whole latte love version. . . .

what strikes me is how, as i have grown to learn to love coffee more, and increased my technical coffee appreciation, i have myself may have changed my roast color religion.

long-time readers remember i spent years drinking peets darkly roasted sumatras. but as i come to comprehend the different styles of cup, i have also come to see the beauty in the different roast colors and how they offer different takes on the same beans.

in short, i'm finding i may prefer dr. john's more lightly-roasted malabar gold in a latte macchiato than the whole latte love version. i urge everyone to try both for themselves and compare. . .

i myself may perhaps be moving in the counter-fashion direction of understanding lighter roasts more when it comes to other coffees as well!

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