Sourcing Details: There is a growing trend in specialty coffee to seek out the Robusta species, which is considered more tolerant to the impacts of climate changes than Arabica. But traditionally Robusta's flavor profile has had a negative reputation. Now with processing innovations previously reserved for Arabica coffee we are starting to see impressive improvements in quality. So if you want to use Robusta and specialty coffee in the same sentence, the Western Ghats mountain range of India is where you may want to start looking. This is the legendary spot where the Sufi saint brought the first seven raw coffee beans from Mocha during his pilgrimage to Mecca in the 17th century. This spot is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most biologically diverse places in the world with more than 5,000 species of flowering plants and 508 different species of birds. Nothing here is common, not even the Robusta, so throw away your low expectations, and be prepared to taste potential from this Robusta lot. The lot comes from farms that focus on best organic practices to maximize the abundance of raw organic material for fertilizer and focus on preserving the ecosystem. Coffee is routinely grown under shade trees and intercropped with pepper and cardamom.
