7 Best Robusta Coffee Brands (2021) And Where To Find Them

Sometimes a regular cup of coffee is not going to cut it in the morning. We need something stronger and bolder that will make us wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. Ready to conquer the day ahead of us.

Well, you have probably heard that Robusta coffee beans are more caffeinated than Arabica beans. And this is absolutely correct. But what is Robusta? Where do you purchase coffee brands that use Robusta? 

These are very good questions because in North America the vast majority of coffee is produced with Arabica coffee beans and you can be hard-pressed to find any that advertise they use Robusta. 

I’ll tell you what you need to know about Robusta coffee beans and where to purchase the best Robusta coffee brands!

What Exactly Are Robusta Coffee Beans?

For those of you unfamiliar with what robusta coffee beans exactly are, let me give you a brief overview.

If you really want to dig deeper into this topic, you can check out my post on Arabica and Robusta coffee beans’ differences. 

You see virtually all of our coffee comes from two kinds of beans: Arabica and Robusta. These beans are made from coffee seeds of these two species of coffee plants.

Where Are Robusta Coffee Beans Grown?

Generally speaking, Robusta coffee beans are grown in the eastern hemisphere in countries like Vietnam. They are also grown at lower altitudes and have a higher resistance to pests, disease, and overall damage than their family members on the Arabica side. 

How Robusta Coffee Beans Differ From Arabica

Robusta coffee beans tend to be more earthy and bitter than the sweeter Arabica beans. Also, they tend to be cheaper due to the fact that they are more durable and produce a higher yield than Arabica. Because of this, they can oftentimes be found in cheaper instant coffees. 

However, Robusta can also be high quality if grown in the right conditions. And most importantly, Robusta coffee beans contain almost twice the amount of caffeine as Arabica! This is why most of the brands we will be listing are well known for their strength. 

Qualities of robusta coffee

A quick summary of the qualities of Robusta Coffee:

• Higher caffeine content
• More bitter
• Earthy tones
• Generally cheaper but not always
• Very popular in Vietnamese coffee due to the fact it is grown so much there

What Does Robusta Coffee Taste Like?

Based on the qualities of Robusta coffee, you can see how this kind of coffee will taste stronger and more bitter. 

The most common form of coffee comes from Arabica beans which tend to have fruitier and sweeter tones. If you are a typical coffee drinker, you can expect Robusta coffee to be… well robust. 

If you are wanting more specifics, people tend to describe the taste of Robusta coffee with the following adjectives: Bitter, burnt, strong, nutty, rubbery, grainy, earthy, and peanutty. 

It’s definitely not for the rookie coffee drinkers, but it’s definitely enjoyable for someone who has been drinking coffee for a long time. 

Top 7 Robusta Coffee Brands

So here we go, our top 7 carefully reviewed Robusta coffee brands. 

#1 Biohazard Coffee

Biohazard Coffee is insanely caffeinated. Probably the most caffeinated coffee available. One cup of Biohazard Coffee contains 928 mg of caffeine! Some claim this number actually pushes beyond 1000 mg!

Biohazard Coffee is made from 100% robusta beans, hence the very high caffein content. 

In addition to this, Biohazard Coffee also makes sure to only lightly roast their coffee beans to ensure the highest amount of caffeine extraction.

Despite what you may expect from tasting this extremely strong coffee, it’s actually pretty smooth. This is consistent with the fact that it is a light roast. A dark roast would result in a more bitter, strong coffee flavor. 

Want to really jump start your day? Consider buying Biohazard Coffee.

#2 Banned Coffee

Banned Coffee boasts that they are the most caffeinated coffee in the world. Is this true? Well, not really. It’s just a marketing tactic. Banned Coffee reaches 474 mg of caffeine per 12 ounces. 

This may not be the most caffeinated coffee but it’s certainly strong! Remember, your average cup of coffee is around 95 mg per 12 ounces. 

Banned Coffee uses a mixture of Arabica and Robusta coffee beans. They claim to source their Robusta beans from farms that produce arguably better quality Robusta beans than the Arabica counterpart. As a result, you get a surprisingly smooth but strong cup of coffee. 

Banned Coffee’s Master Roaster has many years of experience producing this fine medium-dark roast coffee so you can expect a high-quality product. 

#3 Death Wish Coffee

Death Wish Coffee has been in popularity and for a good reason, their coffee is delicious. 

Death Wish coffee beans are harvested typically from India and Peru. Their coffee is not 100% Robusta, it’s technically a blend of Arabica and Robusta. But due to the fact that they have done a ton of research on the best Robusta beans from India and incorporate them in their coffee for the caffeine content, we included them on the list. 

Death Wish prides itself in using the Loring Kestrel Roaster, which they call the best roaster on the market. This roaster uses a very low amount of oxygen which protects the natural flavors of the coffee. This roaster is also known to prevent scorched or burned beans, unlike many traditional roasters. 

Death Wish Coffee is a French Roast so you can definitely expect it to be bitter and bold. 

#4 Dalat Peaberry Robusta

Our first Vietnamese coffee on the list, the Dalat Peaberry Robusta blend. As I mentioned earlier, robusta coffee beans are commonly grown in Vietnam, making sense that Vietnamese coffee is primarily made with robusta. 

These robusta beans, in particular, come from the highlands of Dalat. Hence the name! This coffee does a great job of demonstrating how Robusta coffee beans can be high quality like Arabica, or even better!

As you would expect, Dalat Peaberry Robusta coffee contains a higher amount of caffeine than traditional coffee simply because it is made with Robusta beans. 

This coffee is very tasty with hints of chocolate and nuts. The high-quality beans and high-end roasting process actually give this coffee a rather smooth aftertaste!

#5 Cannonball Coffee

The name “Cannonball” says enough, this is a strong brand of coffee made with Robusta beans. The caffeine is pushing 1000 mg per 12 oz much like the Biohazard. 

Cannonball Coffee was started by a former veteran of the UK Armed Forces making it a very popular strong coffee brand overseas but possibly a little more difficult to obtain for you American coffee drinkers. 

Cannonball uses the highest quality Robusta beans from Northern Rwanda and ensures the customer that everything about this blend is natural and not tainted by cheaper bean additives. 

The flavor profiles contain notes of dark chocolate, toasted malts, and caramel. Their coffee has complex flavors like an arabica blend but the caffeine and crema characteristics of Robusta.

#6 Shock Coffee

Shock Coffee has done a great job of marketing its naturally stimulating effects. Work smarter, play harder, and an extra kick in every step. Shock Coffee also strongly promotes its consumption in the military as a way to keep soldiers awake and alert.

This coffee is surprisingly smooth. So smooth that even the average coffee drinker would probably enjoy it black!

Now, is Shock Coffee as strong and caffeinated as it claims to be? 

Technically yes. Their claim to fame is that Shock Coffee contains 50% more caffeine than traditional coffee. This is true, they use 100% Robusta beans, and Robusta by nature has almost twice the caffeine content of Arabica. 

However, if you are looking for an insane amount of caffeine, you are better off with something like Biohazard or Cannonball.

But nonetheless, Shock Coffee is a delicious brand and deserves to be on the list of best Robusta coffee blends. 

#7 Bach Vietnamese Coffee

Another traditional Vietnamese coffee to add to the list. Bach Vietnamese Coffee harvests their Robusta beans from the high-altitude Vietnamese region. 

Like most Robusta coffee brands you can expect rich chocolate notes. This coffee is recommended to be consumed in the traditional Vietnamese fashion with condensed milk. 

This coffee is more bitter than the previous recommendations but still delicious for those interested in a bold coffee drink. 

What Brands Of Coffee Are 100% Robusta?

Some of the strong coffee mentioned above may have a mix of Robusta coffee beans with Arabica. Most of them do this because they are trying to combine the fruity, complex flavors of Arabica coffee beans with the more powerful Robusta beans. 

But which brands are purely 100% Robusta?

Biohazard, Cannonball, Shock Coffee, and the Vietnamese brands all use 100% Robusta coffee. 

In general, you will see a lot of Vietnamese brands use Robusta beans, which makes sense since Vietnam is one of the major producers of robusta coffee.

Want tips on brewing your Robusta coffee? Check out our Robusta Coffee brewing guide!

Where Do You Buy Robusta Coffee?

It will be hard to find a good Robusta blend of coffee at your local coffee shop. The vast majority of western culture enjoys Arabica beans which makes it a low incentive for standard retailers to stock anything else.

Nonetheless, Robusta coffee is still enjoyed by many! It is still possible to find it as long as you know where to look. 

The simplest answer is to look at online retailers. All the coffee brands listed above have their own online shops where you can purchase Robusta coffee. Even easier is to buy from Amazon which each vendor uses to sell their products!

Robusta Instant Coffee Brands, Are They Any Good?

You might have noticed that the best Robusta coffee brands we listed above carefully vet the quality of their Robusta beans. However, this is not usually the case when it comes to instant coffee.

You see, traditionally Robusta has been known as the cheap filler coffee. Instant coffee brands that are trying to make the most bang for their buck, tend to use the cheaper alternative. 

This being said, it’s better to go with Arabica instant coffee which tends to use higher quality beans with better flavor profiles. 

Conclusion

If you are interested in broadening your coffee horizon, or simply trying to increase your caffeine intake without drinking energy drinks, then I highly recommend incorporating Robusta coffee beans into your life.

All the Robusta coffee brands listed in this post go above and beyond to make sure they are getting the highest quality Robusta beans. Even though Arabica coffee traditionally contains better flavors, you will find that these Robusta coffees are great competitors on the market.

Cheers!

FAQ

Q: Is Starbucks Coffee Arabica Or Robusta?

A: Starbucks coffee contains 100% Arabica beans. 

Q: Is Cafe Bustelo Robosta? 

A: Most Cafe Bustelo products use Robusta coffee. However, some don’t such as the Cafe Bustelo’s Supreme product. 

Q: What is Fine Robusta?

A: Robusta traditionally has been looked at as a lesser quality coffee bean due to its unfavorable cupping quality. 

However, more recently there has been a movement to grow higher quality Robusta coffee in order to increase its presence in the market. Fine Robusta is essentially the practice of producing higher quality Robusta beans. Much like the brands we have listed in this post!

Q: Is Robusta coffee more caffeinated? 

A: Yes, Robusta coffee is more caffeinated. Robusta beans contain 2.7% caffeine while Arabica only contains about 1.5%. That’s almost twice as much!

Q: Which coffee is more expensive Arabica or Robusta?

A: Generally speaking, Arabica coffee tends to be more expensive because Arabica bean plants are not as resistant to damage and produce less yield than Robusta. With less yield, it only makes sense that Arabica coffee is going to be more expensive. 

However, when we are talking about high-quality coffee, whether it is Arabica or Robusta you can expect it to be equally expensive.

Q: What countries grow Robusta coffee beans?

A: Robusta coffee beans are grown predominately in the eastern hemisphere countries such as Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Malaysia, etc.