Canephora – the underrated
The second largest coffee variety in the world is a botanical victim of marketing. Let's put an end to ‘100 percent Arabica’ and return to genuine quality statements and real taste experiences. How could around 70 percent of the coffee grown worldwide be quality coffee? A plea for Canephora.
Everyone knows Arabica – even pure tea drinkers. The advertising machines of the 100 percent Arabica league have pushed their propagandistic coffee variety campaigns so hard and relentlessly. But not, as one might think – and as is commonly rumoured – to improve coffee quality, give coffee drinkers more enjoyment and make coffee more popular as a beverage. No! The aim was to present a simple formula for supposed quality, which is so easy to convey with ‘100 percent Arabica’. Add to that a special offer and a few colourful certification seals, and even the worst coffee can be sold quickly and in large volumes, while the manufacturer demonstrates its sustainable corporate philosophy.
‘Deceptive’ would be a more accurate word than ‘sustainable’ here, because all these illusions, which are often accompanied by terms such as “freshness” and ‘yield’, should not obscure the real situation on the coffee market: impoverished coffee farmers and pickers, increasingly depleted monoculture landscapes and a fall in prices that meant that in 1950, people in Germany still worked an average of 26 hours and 22 minutes for 500g of coffee beans, whereas in 2010 it was only 19 minutes. This corresponds to a price ratio of only 0.7 percent spent on 500g of coffee beans today. So it's time to finally renounce the special price and return to genuine quality. So let's put an end to ‘100 percent Arabica’ and go back to genuine quality statements and real taste experiences. How could around 70 per cent of the coffee grown worldwide be quality coffee? It's time to expose the ‘100 per cent Arabica’ trick – because this is by no means a lasting quality statement, but merely a marketing ploy with a clear enemy: ‘Robusta’. Simplified external enemy stereotypes traditionally serve to distract attention from one's own problems – in the case of coffee, quality problems caused by profit optimisation on the stock markets. ‘Robusta’ is therefore neither a statement of quality nor a type of coffee. It is – according to the usage of the word – the best-known variety of Canephora, which accounts for only a fraction of the Canephora grown worldwide. The correct term is ‘Coffea Canephora var. Robusta’. Since the majority of those employed in the coffee industry have never attended a scientifically based coffee training course, they assume that “Robusta” is the correct technical term for a type of coffee and are certain that it is also ‘bad coffee’. Both are wrong! In the valley of the clueless and gullible, people say ‘Robusta’ and thus clearly identify themselves as belonging to the group of those who, quite simply, know nothing about coffee. It's harsh but true. So it's time to finally take a proper look at coffee and objectively examine Coffea Canephora and its various varieties. Incidentally, this is not so easy, as even the stock exchanges and large associations such as the ICO (International Coffee Organisation) and the DKV (German Coffee Association) refer to it as ‘Robusta’. So gehen auch die Anbauländer davon aus, dass man besser Robusta sagt, als die jeweiligen korrekten Varietäten des angebauten Canephora zu benennen. Es bestehen zwei verschiedene Wildform- Linien, die Guineische und die Kongolesische Linie. Erstere erstreckt sich auf die Gebiete der Elfenbeiküste und Guineas, die Kongoloesische Linie auf die Verbreitungsgebiete Kongo, Zentralafrika und Kamerun. Getrennt waren beide durch den Dahomey Korridor, der sich im Abflussgebiet aus dem Tschadsee im Gebiet der heutigen Staatengrenze zwischen Nigeria und Kamerun befindet. Die Wildformen dieser Kaffees werden als solche dem Markt nicht angeboten – generell sind sortenreine Canephoras schwieriger zu erhalten, da Canephora 22 Chromosomen besitzt und allogam (Kreuzbefruchter) ist. Somit kreuzen sich verschiedene Canephoras untereinander leicht und schnell.
GROWTH IN LOW ALTITUDE
Canephora tends to grow at lower altitudes, at higher temperatures and with more rainfall than Arabica, but ripens more slowly. At higher altitudes, it would not ripen at all. Cultivars have been developed from various varieties of these original Canephora strains. Depending on the country and region, individual varieties that are well adapted to the terroir and microclimate prevail. These were mostly selected and planted according to yield and resistance. Similar to Arabica varieties, Canephora varieties also have a drought-adapted and a moisture-adapted form. The lines originating from drier African regions tend to be elongated and taper to a point at one end (wild rice-shaped), whereas the lines adapted to areas with high rainfall tend to develop a rounded shape with a pointed tip on one side. They thus resemble a drop of water. One of the most commonly cultivated varieties of Canephora is ‘Conillon’. It originates from Madagascar, where it is called ‘Quillou’. It is likely that “Quillou” became ‘Conillon’ due to a spelling or language error on its way from Madagascar to Brazil. Appearance (phenotype) and genetics (genotype) are identical – it is therefore the same plant. Conillon – the most commonly grown Canephora in Brazil, accounting for around 25 percent of the country's total coffee production – does not enjoy a good reputation, like most Canephoras. Usually grown, harvested and processed in a sloppy manner, the typical Brazilian Conillon is reminiscent of asphalt, ash, musty and mouldy aromas with chemical notes. Anything but a pleasure. However, the problem behind this is not the type or variety of coffee, but the market's awareness and expectation that it is a poorer or lower-quality coffee than Arabica. But as soon as the coffee is well cared for throughout the year and also carefully harvested and processed, the tide turns.
A MARKET FOR CONILLON?
I still remember my first tastings of Conillon in Brazil very well. It was like a nightmare, and the professional green coffee traders assured me that this was the ‘typical Conillon taste’. It seemed inconceivable to me that there could be a market for this or any reason to grow, sell and, above all, consume such coffee. But the professionals were clear – everything is ultimately determined by price – and the coffee could only have a certain maximum price in order to be marketable. The taste could be compensated for by blending with Arabica, especially unripe green cherries, as their astringent acidity would distract from the musty bitterness. In addition, much of the bad aroma could be completely destroyed thermally in the consuming countries by roasting the beans darker. The resulting bitterness could then be offset with sugar, milk or cream. A simple formula, then, with which everyone somehow puts volume before taste in the name of profit. There had to be another way – namely, to produce a good-tasting Canephora. And I discovered it in India – the country with the highest-quality Canephoras in the world. The predominant Canephora varieties there are SLN 274, Old Paradenia and CxR.Depending on the area and terroir, completely different flavour profiles emerge. The Canephoras all grow under shade trees, are carefully pruned every year (often using a technique known as ‘skirt pruning’ to prevent damage from the monsoon) and are picked individually by hand in several rounds. The cherries are then sorted by hand so that only the fully ripe coffee cherries go into the pulper (to be washed and processed) or are taken directly to the cherry for drying (as dry-processed coffee). This is done with such care on the high-quality farms that many farmers in other countries who grow exclusively Arabica varieties have to admit enviously that Canephora is grown and processed with more care there than Arabica is in their own countries. So it is much more the type of cultivation and processing than the coffee itself that determines whether off-flavours are found in the coffee.
UNKNOWN TREASURES
In Mexico, we also discovered some old Canephora trees on farms, which were mostly kept in variety gardens and mainly used for breeding seeds for grafting plants. Among others, the Maclaudii variety can be found there. It will be exciting to taste this coffee as soon as we receive some of these high-quality coffees for tasting. In most cases, farmers around the world are unable to name the Canephora varieties, as there are even fewer questions about the varieties grown than there are about Arabica. Nevertheless, due to different genetics, completely different and outstanding flavour profiles emerge, provided that the plants are well cared for throughout the year and the coffees are carefully picked and processed. High-quality Conillon from Brazil has delicate tones of tobacco, caramel and notes of port wine and cognac. The ‘naturals’, i.e. the dry-processed Conillons, offer a slightly stronger body and present themselves with notes of malt and dried bananas. The wet-processed ‘fully washed’ Conillons have cereal and nutty notes with hints of acacia blossoms, dried dates and figs.
SPECIALITY CANEPHORAS FROM INDIA
The speciality Canephoras from India also offer very differentiated, low-acid flavour profiles that are impressive both as single origin coffees and in blends. The CxR, which is not a Canephora variety but a Canephoroid (a cross between Coffea Congensis and Coffea Canephora var. SLN 274), offers a creamy body characterised by liquid cream, complemented by caramel and hazelnut tones, thanks to its unique genetics. Notes of whisky, dried fruit and vanilla round off the flavour profile. The softest and most floral variety of Canephora coffees is SLN 274. This variety is rarely cultivated because, in addition to its lower yield, industrial roasters consider its flavour profile to be too mild for Canephora. Floral notes and honey tones dominate here, with fresh hops and nutmeg. Old Paradenia is dominated by dried fruit, jasmine, nutty tones, cocoa and cognac. These are accompanied by notes of black tea and tobacco. Light roasts reveal popcorn and chestnut blossoms. Of course, as with all coffees, different roasting profiles lead to significantly different flavour profiles, and darker roasts easily elicit strong aromas of cocoa, dark chocolate and caramel. These are particularly suitable for the colder seasons and as low-acid espressos and piston coffees. The best way to get an idea of the impressive range of flavour profiles of these varieties is to attend a cupping session of Canephora single-origin coffees (www.amarella.com).
Everyone knows Arabica – even pure tea drinkers. The advertising machines of the 100 percent Arabica league have pushed their propagandistic coffee variety campaigns so hard and relentlessly. But not, as one might think – and as is commonly rumoured – to improve coffee quality, give coffee drinkers more enjoyment and make coffee more popular as a beverage. No! The aim was to present a simple formula for supposed quality, which is so easy to convey with ‘100 percent Arabica’. Add to that a special offer and a few colourful certification seals, and even the worst coffee can be sold quickly and in large volumes, while the manufacturer demonstrates its sustainable corporate philosophy.
‘Deceptive’ would be a more accurate word than ‘sustainable’ here, because all these illusions, which are often accompanied by terms such as “freshness” and ‘yield’, should not obscure the real situation on the coffee market: impoverished coffee farmers and pickers, increasingly depleted monoculture landscapes and a fall in prices that meant that in 1950, people in Germany still worked an average of 26 hours and 22 minutes for 500g of coffee beans, whereas in 2010 it was only 19 minutes. This corresponds to a price ratio of only 0.7 percent spent on 500g of coffee beans today. So it's time to finally renounce the special price and return to genuine quality. So let's put an end to ‘100 percent Arabica’ and go back to genuine quality statements and real taste experiences. How could around 70 per cent of the coffee grown worldwide be quality coffee? It's time to expose the ‘100 per cent Arabica’ trick – because this is by no means a lasting quality statement, but merely a marketing ploy with a clear enemy: ‘Robusta’. Simplified external enemy stereotypes traditionally serve to distract attention from one's own problems – in the case of coffee, quality problems caused by profit optimisation on the stock markets. ‘Robusta’ is therefore neither a statement of quality nor a type of coffee. It is – according to the usage of the word – the best-known variety of Canephora, which accounts for only a fraction of the Canephora grown worldwide. The correct term is ‘Coffea Canephora var. Robusta’. Since the majority of those employed in the coffee industry have never attended a scientifically based coffee training course, they assume that “Robusta” is the correct technical term for a type of coffee and are certain that it is also ‘bad coffee’. Both are wrong! In the valley of the clueless and gullible, people say ‘Robusta’ and thus clearly identify themselves as belonging to the group of those who, quite simply, know nothing about coffee. It's harsh but true. So it's time to finally take a proper look at coffee and objectively examine Coffea Canephora and its various varieties. Incidentally, this is not so easy, as even the stock exchanges and large associations such as the ICO (International Coffee Organisation) and the DKV (German Coffee Association) refer to it as ‘Robusta’. So gehen auch die Anbauländer davon aus, dass man besser Robusta sagt, als die jeweiligen korrekten Varietäten des angebauten Canephora zu benennen. Es bestehen zwei verschiedene Wildform- Linien, die Guineische und die Kongolesische Linie. Erstere erstreckt sich auf die Gebiete der Elfenbeiküste und Guineas, die Kongoloesische Linie auf die Verbreitungsgebiete Kongo, Zentralafrika und Kamerun. Getrennt waren beide durch den Dahomey Korridor, der sich im Abflussgebiet aus dem Tschadsee im Gebiet der heutigen Staatengrenze zwischen Nigeria und Kamerun befindet. Die Wildformen dieser Kaffees werden als solche dem Markt nicht angeboten – generell sind sortenreine Canephoras schwieriger zu erhalten, da Canephora 22 Chromosomen besitzt und allogam (Kreuzbefruchter) ist. Somit kreuzen sich verschiedene Canephoras untereinander leicht und schnell.
GROWTH IN LOW ALTITUDE
Canephora tends to grow at lower altitudes, at higher temperatures and with more rainfall than Arabica, but ripens more slowly. At higher altitudes, it would not ripen at all. Cultivars have been developed from various varieties of these original Canephora strains. Depending on the country and region, individual varieties that are well adapted to the terroir and microclimate prevail. These were mostly selected and planted according to yield and resistance. Similar to Arabica varieties, Canephora varieties also have a drought-adapted and a moisture-adapted form. The lines originating from drier African regions tend to be elongated and taper to a point at one end (wild rice-shaped), whereas the lines adapted to areas with high rainfall tend to develop a rounded shape with a pointed tip on one side. They thus resemble a drop of water. One of the most commonly cultivated varieties of Canephora is ‘Conillon’. It originates from Madagascar, where it is called ‘Quillou’. It is likely that “Quillou” became ‘Conillon’ due to a spelling or language error on its way from Madagascar to Brazil. Appearance (phenotype) and genetics (genotype) are identical – it is therefore the same plant. Conillon – the most commonly grown Canephora in Brazil, accounting for around 25 percent of the country's total coffee production – does not enjoy a good reputation, like most Canephoras. Usually grown, harvested and processed in a sloppy manner, the typical Brazilian Conillon is reminiscent of asphalt, ash, musty and mouldy aromas with chemical notes. Anything but a pleasure. However, the problem behind this is not the type or variety of coffee, but the market's awareness and expectation that it is a poorer or lower-quality coffee than Arabica. But as soon as the coffee is well cared for throughout the year and also carefully harvested and processed, the tide turns.
A MARKET FOR CONILLON?
I still remember my first tastings of Conillon in Brazil very well. It was like a nightmare, and the professional green coffee traders assured me that this was the ‘typical Conillon taste’. It seemed inconceivable to me that there could be a market for this or any reason to grow, sell and, above all, consume such coffee. But the professionals were clear – everything is ultimately determined by price – and the coffee could only have a certain maximum price in order to be marketable. The taste could be compensated for by blending with Arabica, especially unripe green cherries, as their astringent acidity would distract from the musty bitterness. In addition, much of the bad aroma could be completely destroyed thermally in the consuming countries by roasting the beans darker. The resulting bitterness could then be offset with sugar, milk or cream. A simple formula, then, with which everyone somehow puts volume before taste in the name of profit. There had to be another way – namely, to produce a good-tasting Canephora. And I discovered it in India – the country with the highest-quality Canephoras in the world. The predominant Canephora varieties there are SLN 274, Old Paradenia and CxR.Depending on the area and terroir, completely different flavour profiles emerge. The Canephoras all grow under shade trees, are carefully pruned every year (often using a technique known as ‘skirt pruning’ to prevent damage from the monsoon) and are picked individually by hand in several rounds. The cherries are then sorted by hand so that only the fully ripe coffee cherries go into the pulper (to be washed and processed) or are taken directly to the cherry for drying (as dry-processed coffee). This is done with such care on the high-quality farms that many farmers in other countries who grow exclusively Arabica varieties have to admit enviously that Canephora is grown and processed with more care there than Arabica is in their own countries. So it is much more the type of cultivation and processing than the coffee itself that determines whether off-flavours are found in the coffee.
UNKNOWN TREASURES
In Mexico, we also discovered some old Canephora trees on farms, which were mostly kept in variety gardens and mainly used for breeding seeds for grafting plants. Among others, the Maclaudii variety can be found there. It will be exciting to taste this coffee as soon as we receive some of these high-quality coffees for tasting. In most cases, farmers around the world are unable to name the Canephora varieties, as there are even fewer questions about the varieties grown than there are about Arabica. Nevertheless, due to different genetics, completely different and outstanding flavour profiles emerge, provided that the plants are well cared for throughout the year and the coffees are carefully picked and processed. High-quality Conillon from Brazil has delicate tones of tobacco, caramel and notes of port wine and cognac. The ‘naturals’, i.e. the dry-processed Conillons, offer a slightly stronger body and present themselves with notes of malt and dried bananas. The wet-processed ‘fully washed’ Conillons have cereal and nutty notes with hints of acacia blossoms, dried dates and figs.
SPECIALITY CANEPHORAS FROM INDIA
The speciality Canephoras from India also offer very differentiated, low-acid flavour profiles that are impressive both as single origin coffees and in blends. The CxR, which is not a Canephora variety but a Canephoroid (a cross between Coffea Congensis and Coffea Canephora var. SLN 274), offers a creamy body characterised by liquid cream, complemented by caramel and hazelnut tones, thanks to its unique genetics. Notes of whisky, dried fruit and vanilla round off the flavour profile. The softest and most floral variety of Canephora coffees is SLN 274. This variety is rarely cultivated because, in addition to its lower yield, industrial roasters consider its flavour profile to be too mild for Canephora. Floral notes and honey tones dominate here, with fresh hops and nutmeg. Old Paradenia is dominated by dried fruit, jasmine, nutty tones, cocoa and cognac. These are accompanied by notes of black tea and tobacco. Light roasts reveal popcorn and chestnut blossoms. Of course, as with all coffees, different roasting profiles lead to significantly different flavour profiles, and darker roasts easily elicit strong aromas of cocoa, dark chocolate and caramel. These are particularly suitable for the colder seasons and as low-acid espressos and piston coffees. The best way to get an idea of the impressive range of flavour profiles of these varieties is to attend a cupping session of Canephora single-origin coffees (www.amarella.com).