Which Coffee Delivers The Biggest Caffeine Kick?

Robusta trees flourish at lower and warmer elevations, have strong disease resistance, and produce a higher yield. As such, these are much cheaper to produce than arabica beans, whose pest-susceptible trees require a high elevation and significant maintenance. Cheaper beans are the obvious choice for lower-quality products, and this association has definitely maligned robusta’s image to the point that some supposed aficionados write it off completely — including companies like Starbucks.

But, if you have ever had the pleasure of sipping on a proper Vietnamese coffee made from a pour-over contraption called a phin, you could probably tell that it was more than just the hefty portion of sweetened condensed milk that made it so delicious. There is a certain elegant bitterness that provides incredible depth and balance — similar to biting into a piece of dark chocolate.

That is what robusta brings to the table, along with a significant buzz. Tammy Huynh of Omni Bev, Sahra Nguyen of Nguyen Coffee Company, and Lan Ho of Fat Miilk are some of the many figures actively fighting the bias against robusta beans in the coffee industry. If you are after the biggest caffeine punch, rest assured that the flavor of a quality robusta will not disappoint.