DA LAT

As Arabica coffee continues to face difficulties, more and more conversations are being had about Robusta coffee and what it could offer if given the right treatment. Vietnam is the world's largest producer of Robusta, which is generally not considered specialty coffee. However, in recent years there has been a push to experiment with higher quality Robusta harvests, creating better coffees that can stand on their own in the specialty sphere. 

This lot is the result of one of those experiments, and we are exceedingly happy with the outcome. This red honey-processed Robusta comes from a select group of smallholder farms in Lam Dong Province, in the central highlands of Vietnam. The coffee is cultivated between 900 and 1,200 meters above sea level in a microclimate with rich, volcanic soil, and harvested using only red-ripe cherries.

After harvesting, the cherries are floated to remove defects and then pulped, leaving as much mucilage content sticking to the parchment as possible. The coffee is then dried on raised beds in a greenhouse, providing good airflow to promote even drying. The resulting cup is unlike any robusta we have tasted, offering up a nice full body and rich chocolatey flavor, nuanced with cherry notes while retaining a bit of that robusta flavor experience. While Robustas are still a bit taboo in the high-end coffee market, we think it's time to break a barrier.