At Blue Tokai, we've always wanted to make good quality coffee accessible to everyone. Innovation at our roasteries and getting involved with our partner farms has been key in achieving this. Whether it's by diversifying our offerings for every kind of coffee drinker, or helping our customers recognise quality coffee when they taste it. To take your specialty coffee journey to the next step, we knew it was time to experiment with a kind of coffee that India is popularly known for.
So, here we are, presenting our first-ever Specialty Robusta in collaboration with one of our favourite partners, Kerehaklu Estate!
Robusta is most commonly used in blends to increase the body and strength and is also heavily used in instant coffee production. However, that’s not all its worth! By focusing on quality at farming and post-harvest processing stages, it is possible to achieve specialty-grade (the technical term is “fine”) Robusta.
Kerehaklu Estate’s Robusta is R graded and has a smooth profile with strong, bittersweet chocolate undertones and none of the graininess that is commonly found. It’s sure to change the perception around this variety of coffee. A great pick for a strong, pick-me-up brew, this medium-dark roast has a heavy body and a creamy, plush mouthfeel that is perfectly finished off with roasted almonds and caramel aftertaste.
Halley Huli Natural
Processed using a unique method called Halley Huli which translates to ‘old tiger’, a Kannada phrase, usually given to an elderly person — pretty much like the type of anaerobic fermentation used here, that has been carried on for decades. This double float process involves leaving the cherries in ceramic vats overnight for a considerably shorter fermentation time as compared to Arabica.
Kerehaklu has always pushed the envelope — whether it’s using experimental processing techniques to produce some of the highest scoring Arabica we have to offer, or with its innovative harvesting and processing techniques to produce this specialty-grade Robusta. To produce this lot, Kerehaklu processed CxR —Congensis crossed with Robusta. Coffee Congensis is closely related to both Arabica and Robusta, and is known to improve the flavour profile of the coffee.
When it comes to roasting the beans, Robusta needs an extended roasting time as the beans take longer to caramelise. Robusta typically has a stronger, more chocolatey taste with a nutty and tart aftertaste. We recommend brewing this one as an Espresso or in the Moka Pot as this coffee’s chocolatey flavour profile pairs really well with milk.
This is one of our many firsts and we hope you enjoy drinking it as much as we enjoyed bringing it to life!
There’s a lot to say about Robusta — its properties, key differences compared to other varieties and uncovering some popular myths. We’ll be covering all of this, as well as answering all your questions in the upcoming week.
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