Brazil Bets on Specialty Conilon

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New clonals, post-harvest fermentation techniques, and better processing methods are some of the tools now used to produce high-quality conilon coffees in Brazil.

By Kelly Stein

Aromatic and flavor notes of pineapple, bergamot, coconut, macadamia, spice, gooseberry, vanilla, honey, and notes of “yellow flower” are praise commonly used by professional cuppers describing arabica. This evaluation, however, was made by a group of Cup of Excellence (CoE) judges in a special event that followed the 2017 CoE competition in Espirito Santo. The exercise was simple: Analyze 11 samples of specialty conilon.

The group of 25 consisted of local robusta producers, researchers, journalists, specialty arabica coffee shop owners, several students attending the Federal Institute of Espirito Santo (IFES), and five CoE judges. The project “Specialty Conilon/Robusta to the World” is a bold quest toward quality with a mission to prove that it is possible to make great tasting robusta. According to coffee specialist and Agricafé director, Silvio Leite, the main challenge in this initial phase is to better understand robusta’s diverse attributes.

“There are no rules for this kind of cupping because no protocol is established yet. So, I asked that skilled professionals focus on describing sensorial attributes,” explains Silvio. “Full body” and “wood” notes are commonly used when describing Coffea canephora (robusta) and were present at the cupping table, but judges also found these coffee “very well-balanced,” with a “dry finish,” and displayed notes of apricot.

“I would definitely buy this coffee to enrich my shop’s portfolio,” said Jordan Dabov, who owns a roastery and two coffees shops in the Czech Republic, one in Sofia, and another in Madrid. Dabov was one of the judges who awarded these robustas an average score of 92 points on the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) 100-point scale. Arabicas scoring in this range are routinely auctioned for $25 or more dollars a pound. In contrast, commercial grades of robusta sell for less than $1 per pound.

The coffee he favored was fermented, an experiment promoted by the IFES team. For the Brazilian barista and coffee shop owner, Isabela Raposeiras, this sensorial experience was remarkable. She described two exceptional samples: “I wasn’t impressed because it was similar to arabica. It was quite the opposite! It was different, but with great taste. If one day I decide to buy a conilon lot, I will search for a high-quality clean cup with complexity in its sensorial attributes to sell as a single. I wouldn’t use it in a blend for sure,” said Raposeiras.

Coffee researchers are generally focused on productivity and resilience nowadays. It will be some time before the global coffee community develops a market for Brazilian single-origin conilon. According to Lucas Henrique Caser Venturim, the commercial director at Venturim Farm, the immediate goal is to show the market that it is possible enjoy a single-origin conilon on its own, not in a blend.

“The great challenge now is to develop the market and introduce quality. Breaking the paradigm of a bad reputation among arabica specialists is our goal now,” said Lucas, one of the specialty conilon pioneers in Espirito Santo state.

The next step for science is to develop varieties that emphasize aromatic and sensory qualities in addition to productivity and resistance to plagues and diseases and tolerance during drought. “Meanwhile, we need to establish sensorial parameters to fairly evaluate high quality robusta/conilon. When this is accomplished, pricing is a natural consequence,” says Silvio.

As a specialist in coffee grading, tasting, and quality control, Silvio plays an important role in the coffee scene in Brazil. At a time when specialty arabica was largely unknown in the domestic industry, Silvio and his team developed and disseminated quality standards and sensorial protocols. He is one of the founders of the Brazilian Specialty Coffee Association (BSCA) and an early supporter of CoE. Now that the Brazilian market for arabica is established and doing well, his quest is to reproduce the same steps in the robusta/conilon segment through public- and private-sector partnerships.

As the first official activity, this cupping with national and international players helps verify investments in high-quality conilon are practical and potentially rewarding. The use of the SCA grading scale may not best describe qualities unique to conilon but the cuppers in this experiment said they felt comfortable applying the arabica attributes in arriving at a comparable cupping score.

The way towards quality in robusta/conilon production starts with better processing methods and a different approach to soil nutrition and harvest techniques. At Venturim’s farm, spacing between trees was aligned with the property’s topography. New clonals accelerated growth and guarantee uniform maturation.  “We decided to enter five samples of our conilon in the Coabriel cooperative quality contest the first year that we processed the harvest with arabica equipment. Our pulped natural won 1º, 2º, 3º, 4º and 9º place. It was impressive!” says Venturim. He said that changing the processing method resulted in a big leap in quality.

Witnessing this significant change, some producers betting on canephora’s better quality translate their philosophy with humor: don’t treat as arabica someone who treats you like robusta. According to them, robusta and conilon beans have a great potential for interesting sensorial profiles but bad management and terrible post-harvesting processes eliminate all the chances of a good coffee.

Science is a strong partner in showing new ways to look at robusta/conilon production. For Lucas Louzada, IFES’ researcher, natural and pulped natural processing methods are already well applied in several robusta/conilon farms in Espirito Santo state. “Our goal now is try to improve sensorial attributes even more with spontaneous and induced fermentation. We want to break the robusta’s sensorial aggressiveness, eliminate wood notes and make it sweeter/tastier for the final consumer’s palate”, concludes. The first official cupping with high quality conilon is just the beginning, it is the tip of the iceberg.

“The main objective of this program is to show the world that conilon has as much potential as arabica. They just need to receive a good treatment as arabica beans do. It is proven that there is an interesting sensorial range that can be appreciated in cups from different countries”, states Lucas Louzada.

For decades the ugly duckling in the Coffea Canephora family, conilon was relegated to serve as a cheap caffeine source for the soluble industry. This is about to end. 

Tough Cultivars

Robusta originated in Africa and is grown in Asia (Vietnam is the world’s largest producer accounting for 40%), Brazil (25%), Indonesia (15%), and India (6%) follow. It grows best at lower elevations in hot climates with regular annual rainfall. Hundreds of cultivars have been developed with an eye toward improving yield. In 1993 a hectare of conilon produced nine 60-kilo bags (540 kilos per hectare, 216 kilos per acre).

In 1995 the scientific community dedicated their studies toward improving productivity and disease resistance. According to Dr. Aymbiré Francisco Almeida da Fonseca, “Genetic improvement and better techniques of reproduction increased the yield by 300%. Today yields reach 60 bags per hectare (1,440 kilos per acre) with properties in some regions registering 120 bags per hectare,” he said.

Conilon cultivars such as Marilandia, launched in 2017, proved to be the best choice for dry areas. According to INCAPER (Capixaba Research Institute, Technical Assistance and Rural Extension), Marilandia trees yielded 60 bags per hectare during three years of severe drought in Espirito Santo. The promising result was registered with a rainfall of less than 50% when compared to regular conditions. In these rough conditions, other commercial conilon varieties produced only 20 bags during the drought.

“With great performance in dry periods, it became very popular in some regions of Brazil such as Espirito Santo. An average of 70% or our coffee fields suffer from lack of water and [older varieties of] canephora robusta wouldn’t survive,” explains INCAPER scientist, Dr. Fonseca.

Conilon Clones

Maria Amélia Ferrão, a researcher at Embrapa Café who specializes in the genetic improvement of coffee at INCAPER, explains that traditional plantations relied primarily on coffee planted from seed. This results in a variety of sizes and shapes in trees that display different characteristics; differ in susceptibility to pests, do not have uniform of fruit or the same timing to maturation. This is not good for business.

That is why producers prefer clones for consistent commercial performance. Basically, rows of the exact same plant are cultivated side by side to facilitate the harvest. Maturation happens at the same time and the consistency brings better prices.

The book Conilon Coffee – Production Techniques with Improved Varieties lists some of the varieties launched and recommended for the State of Espirito Santo.

EMCAPA 8111

Clonal variety released in 1993, formed by a group of nine clones compatible with each other. Early and uniform maturation with harvest due April/May. The first four non-irrigated crops have a productivity of 58 bags (sieve 14) of processed coffee per hectare.

EMCAPA 8141 – ROBUSTÃO CAPIXABA

Clonal variety launched in 1999, formed by a group of 10 clones compatible with each other. With great drought tolerance, it can produce 53 bags of processed beans per hectare.

VITÓRIA INCAPER 8142

Launched in May 2004, this varietal is formed by a group of 13 clones. High productivity, yield stability, drought tolerance and resistance to rust are the main features for this plant. An average of 70 bags of processed beans per hectare was registered in the last eight non-irrigated harvests.