If you respect Italian espresso culture, you can't completely dismiss Robusta

I've noticed something a little strange in specialty espresso. A lot of people seem to have a very negative opinion of Robusta, while at the same time holding up traditional Italian espresso as the gold standard.

Those two things don't always fit together. Robusta has been part of southern Italian espresso for a long time, especially in Neapolitan-style blends. Blends with 20 to 40% Robusta aren't some weird modern shortcut. They're a well-established part of that tradition. I'm not saying Robusta is better than Arabica. Far from it.

Good Arabica can have incredible complexity and flavor. But I think the specialty coffee world sometimes took the idea of “Arabica is better” a little too far and turned it into “Robusta is bad.” We don't really do that with Arabica.

Nobody tastes a terrible commodity Arabica and decides that's what all Arabica tastes like. We judge Arabica by its best examples. But Robusta often gets judged by its worst examples.

Specialty Robusta is a real thing. Good Coffea canephora from places like Uganda, India and Vietnam can be surprisingly sweet, chocolatey, earthy and full-bodied. It also naturally has quite a bit more caffeine than Arabica. And then there's crema.

One reason Robusta became popular in espresso blends is that it can add body and produce a denser, more persistent crema. If you've ever had a traditional southern Italian espresso with that thick, dark crema and heavy body, there's a good chance Robusta was part of the blend.

That doesn't mean you have to like it. I just think there's a difference between saying “I prefer 100% Arabica” and saying “Robusta has no place in good espresso.” I'm curious where people here stand on this.

Do you think good Robusta deserves more respect in specialty espresso, or is the traditional Italian use of it something we should leave in the past?