Originating from plants in the western and central sub-Sahara Robusta yields more coffee beans than an Arabica plant and Robusta coffee beans contain about 2.7% caffeine as opposed to 1.5% for Arabica. This makes robusta beans cheaper, and therefore popular in mass-market brands. (Robusta vs. Arabica) Robusta is easier to tend to on the farm, has a higher yield and is less sensitive to insects - the extra caffeine is a chemical defense for the coffee seed as the quantity in the Robusta is toxic to bugs.
It comes second only to arabica (from the Coffea arabica plant) which makes up the remaining 60% (or more) of coffee production worldwide. Robusta originated in central and western sub-Saharan Africa.It is the second most popular coffee in the world, making up 40% of the worlds coffee production. Arabica plants are more demanding and harder to grow, while the accurately named robustas can be cultivated in a much wider range of areas. All of these factors help bring up the supply and lower the input costs for farmers to produce. It is the primary coffee grown across most of Africa from Ethiopia on the Indian Ocean to Liberia on the Atlantic and South to Angola. The Robusta plant can grow as high as thirty feet. Folger's Classic Roast is a blend of robusta and arabica beans, with the arabicas used to moderate the roughness of the robustas. Learn more about arabica coffee.. Where does robusta coffee come from? Arabica beans create a coffee that has deep and complex flavors and aromas and the Robusta coffees have more caffeine in them with simpler flavors and often harsh and bitter tones to them.