Robusta Green Coffee Beans, Washed and Hand Picked Single Origin

Robusta Green Coffee Beans for Espresso, Blends and Strong Coffee

These are washed, hand-picked robusta green coffee beans from smallholder farms in the Haut-Nkam hills. They roast up heavy and chocolatey, with roasted nut notes, low acidity and a long finish. If you want more body and crema in espresso, or you just like a strong, low-acid cup, this is the coffee to buy.

We sell the beans raw, in bags from 1kg to 50kg, so you can test a small batch and then scale up with the same lot. You can browse all our green coffee or keep reading to see whether these robusta green coffee beans fit what you roast.

Why Buy Robusta Green Coffee Beans at All?

Robusta has a reputation problem. For years it was treated as the cheap filler in instant coffee and supermarket blends, and a lot of it was picked and processed with little care. That reputation is out of date. Robusta is now roughly 40% of the coffee grown worldwide, according to researchers at France's IRD, and a recent review co-authored by World Coffee Research put global robusta output at 70 to 76 million bags a year (Frontiers in Plant Science, 2025).

Quality has moved too. The Coffee Quality Institute published Fine Robusta Standards and Protocols in 2019 so that well-grown, well-processed robusta could be judged on its own terms rather than against arabica, as noted in a 2024 sensory study of robusta. Carefully picked, washed robusta green coffee beans like this lot are what that shift is about.

What robusta does well

• Body: it gives a heavier, thicker mouthfeel than most arabica.
• Crema: a share of robusta in an espresso blend helps produce thick, lasting crema.
• Low acidity: good for people who find bright coffees too sharp.
• Strength: robusta usually carries more caffeine than arabica.
• Milk drinks: cocoa and nut flavours cut through milk without getting lost.

Inside This Lot of Robusta Green Coffee Beans

The coffee is Coffea canephora, grown on small family plots at around 800 metres. Robusta is normally a lowland crop. Studies of introduced robusta describe it as grown widely across lowland tropical regions of Africa, the Americas and Asia (a 2017 study of robusta genetic diversity). At 800 metres, these farms sit higher than much of the world's robusta, which tends to slow ripening a little.

Elevation affects robusta chemistry. One study of developing robusta fruit found caffeine was consistently higher in plants grown at low elevations, with about 32% less caffeine in beans from high-elevation plants (Sridevi and Giridhar, 2014). Brazilian researchers testing robusta at 720 metres measured caffeine between 2.06% and 2.89% and concluded that higher-altitude cultivation can be promising for better-quality robusta (Pinheiro et al., Australian Journal of Crop Science, 2019). We have not lab-tested the caffeine in this lot, so we do not quote a figure for it.

Washed, not natural

Much robusta around the world is dry processed, with the whole cherry dried before the bean is removed. Our robusta green coffee beans are washed: the fruit is removed first, the beans are fermented and rinsed, then sun-dried. Washing usually gives a cleaner cup with fewer of the rubbery or earthy-harsh notes people associate with cheap robusta. What is left is cocoa, roasted nut and a sweet, earthy depth.

Who Buys These Robusta Green Coffee Beans

Espresso roasters building a blend

This is the most common use. Many roasters put 10 to 30% robusta into an arabica base to add body and crema. Start low, taste, then adjust. Our washed arabica green coffee beans are a natural partner if you want to build the whole blend from one supplier.

Home roasters who like it strong

If you drink your coffee dark, strong or with milk, a 1kg or 5kg bag of robusta green coffee beans is an easy way to try it at home. Roasted on its own, it makes a bold moka-pot or cafetière coffee.

Traditional and regional coffee styles

Some coffee traditions, such as strong sweetened coffee with condensed milk, have long relied on robusta. If you roast for customers who expect that style, the 25kg and 50kg bags keep you supplied.

Cafés and small roasteries

For steady volume beyond 50kg, see our wholesale green coffee beans page for bulk quotes.

How to Roast Robusta Green Coffee Beans

Robusta behaves differently from arabica in the roaster. It has less sugar and a different structure, so it can scorch or taste flat if you rush it. Treat these as starting points and keep notes on every batch.

Medium roast

Drop the beans well into development after first crack. You keep some of the nutty sweetness and earthy character. This is a good level for a moka pot or cafetière.

Medium-dark for espresso

Take the roast towards the start of second crack. Body and bittersweet cocoa come forward, and it blends easily with arabica. Most espresso roasters land somewhere around here.

Dark roast

Go into second crack if you want a very bold, smoky cup for milk drinks. Watch closely, because robusta can turn ashy quickly once it gets very dark.

Roasting tips

• Robusta beans are often smaller and rounder than arabica, so they roast faster in the same machine. Keep an eye on timing if you switch between the two.
• Roast robusta and arabica separately, then blend after roasting. That way each gets the profile it needs.
• Give it a longer rest than arabica. Many roasters find robusta tastes better after three to five days.
• Ventilate well. Darker roasts make more smoke.

A Simple Way to Build Your First Blend

If you have never blended before, keep it simple. Roast a batch of arabica to a medium level and a batch of robusta green coffee beans to medium-dark. Let both rest for a few days. Then weigh out three small test blends: 90/10, 80/20 and 70/30 arabica to robusta. Pull a shot of each, or brew each the way you normally drink coffee, and taste them side by side.

What you are looking for changes with the ratio. At 10% robusta, most people notice a little more body and a slightly thicker crema, with the arabica still leading. At 20%, the cup gets rounder and more chocolatey, and milk drinks taste stronger. At 30%, robusta starts to take over, with more bitterness, more weight and a longer, heavier finish. None of these is wrong. It depends on your customers, your machine and whether the coffee is mostly drunk black or with milk.

Once you have a ratio you like, write it down along with both roast profiles. Because each bag comes from a single lot, you can repeat the blend with the same robusta green coffee beans until the harvest changes. When a new harvest comes in, run the test again, because small shifts in the green coffee can move the balance.

Pre-blend or post-blend?

Some roasters mix the green beans before roasting to save time. It works, but arabica and robusta rarely want the same roast, so one usually ends up over or under done. Roasting separately and blending after gives you more control, and it is what we suggest for anyone starting out.

Quality Checks: Moisture, Defects and Smell

The Specialty Coffee Association's working range for green coffee moisture is 10–12%, as summarised in Cropster's green grading guide. Coffee much wetter than that is at risk of mould, and coffee much drier can taste aged. Our listed moisture for these robusta green coffee beans is about 10–12%, inside that range.

When your bag arrives, take a minute to check it:

• It should smell clean, a little grassy or earthy. A musty or fermented smell is a warning sign.
• Colour should be fairly even. Washed robusta is often a paler green-yellow than arabica.
• Look through a handful for black, broken or insect-damaged beans. Hand-sorted coffee should have few.

You can read how we approach sorting and defects on our quality policy page.

Storing Robusta Green Coffee Beans

Green coffee is stable for months if you look after it. The main enemies are heat, damp and changes in temperature. Research comparing hermetic bags with jute sacks found the hermetic bags kept green coffee quality steady in humid conditions (Purdue University, 2018).

• Store the bag somewhere cool, dry and dark.
• Keep it sealed, or move the beans to an airtight food-safe tub.
• Keep it off cold floors and away from strong smells.
• Buy what you can roast within a few months.

Choosing Your Bag Size

• 1kg: try it, or test it in a blend.
• 5kg: regular home roasting.
• 10kg and 15kg: small roasters adding a robusta component.
• 25kg: an established blend that uses robusta every week.
• 50kg: cafés and roasteries with steady demand.

Larger bags cost less per kilo. Pick your size at the top of this page. If you would like to try before you commit, ask us for a sample and we will send the lot details with it.

Robusta Green Coffee Beans vs Arabica: Which Should You Buy?

It depends on what you want in the cup. Buy arabica for brightness, sweetness and clarity. Buy robusta green coffee beans for body, crema, low acidity and strength. Many people buy both and blend them. You can see both side by side in our best sellers, and the blog has more background in the green bean myth and this piece on specialty green coffee.

Free UK Delivery on Robusta Green Coffee Beans

We deliver within the United Kingdom only. Standard UK delivery is free on every order. Orders are dispatched from Oxford within 1 business day and arrive within 2–4 business days. Full details are in our shipping policy.

The Farms Behind the Coffee

Ayaba Coffee comes from a family with generations of involvement in coffee farming, cooperatives and export. We source from smallholder communities and keep the supply chain short, so we can tell you where your robusta green coffee beans came from and how they were handled. Read more on our story, origin and terroir and sustainability pages.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are these robusta green coffee beans roasted?

No. They are raw and unroasted. You roast them yourself before grinding and brewing.

Is robusta stronger than arabica?

Robusta usually has more caffeine and a heavier body, so it tastes and feels stronger. Exact caffeine levels vary by farm and altitude, and we have not lab-tested this lot.

Can I drink robusta on its own, or only in blends?

Both. Washed, well-sorted robusta can taste good on its own, especially in a moka pot or with milk. Blending with arabica is the most popular use for espresso.

How much robusta should I add to an espresso blend?

A common starting range is 10–30%. Begin at the low end and taste. More robusta adds body and crema but also more bitterness.

Is this coffee certified organic?

No. It is grown by smallholders using traditional methods, but we do not call it organic without a certificate.

Do you sell more than 50kg?

Yes. Visit the wholesale page or read our FAQ for how larger orders work.

Order Your Robusta

Choose a bag size above and add it to your cart. If you are building an espresso blend, start with 1kg of robusta green coffee beans and a bag of our arabica, roast both, and blend to taste. Once you have found the ratio you like, come back for the bigger bags.