robusta

noun, often attributive

ro·bus·ta | \ rō-ˈbə-stə

How to pronounce robusta (audio)

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Definition of robusta

1 : a hardy shrub or tree (Coffea canephora) that is indigenous to central Africa but has been introduced elsewhere (as in Java) and yields seeds that form a usually lower quality coffee of commerce than that of arabica

2 : the seeds of robusta especially roasted and often ground

Examples of robusta in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Guatemala and Nicaragua are expanding their robusta plantations. — Julie Wernau, WSJ, "Why Does Your Coffee Taste Like Tires? A Battle Brews Between Beans," 16 Dec. 2018 The 4Stox’s warehouses held 32 lots, or 320 metric tons, of low-grade robusta coffee. — David Hodari, WSJ, "Exchange Shuts Louis Dreyfus Coffee Trading Warehouses," 22 Nov. 2018 Death Wish coffee Unlike most blends brewed from Arabica beans, Death Wish uses robusta beans that contain 200 percent more caffeine --and is billed as the world's strongest cup of coffee available commercially. — Fox News, "8 of the most caffeinated coffee drinks," 23 Feb. 2016 As an added benefit, farmers tend to use less pesticides when growing the resistant robusta. — Julissa Treviño, Smithsonian, "Coffee Growing Can Be Good For Birds No Matter What Bean You Choose," 21 Feb. 2018 Because more farmers in the area have been shifting to robusta in recent years due to price and ease of growing, Weintraub writes, this is an important finding. — Julissa Treviño, Smithsonian, "Coffee Growing Can Be Good For Birds No Matter What Bean You Choose," 21 Feb. 2018 Death Wish is billed as the world's strongest coffee, made from a blend of organic, fair-trade robusta and arabica beans primarily from India and Peru, which contain 200 percent more caffeine than the average coffee blend. — Kellie Hwang, azcentral, "Death Wish Coffee, world's strongest coffee, coming to Walmart in Arizona," 26 Apr. 2018 While the cost of coffee varies widely with quality and the country of origin, that would amount to about $1.3 billion a year based on the current price of robusta futures. — Bloomberg.com, "Buy Now, Pay Later Helps JAB Billionaires Build Beverage Empire," 30 Jan. 2018 Arabica makes up about 60 percent of global coffee supplies, with lower-quality robusta beans accounting for the rest. — Marcy Nicholson, The Christian Science Monitor, "Where conflict once reigned in Colombia, coffee beans now grow," 20 Oct. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'robusta.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of robusta was in 1909

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