Blue Bottle Coffee Looks Beyond Arabica with Excelsa and Specialty-Grade Robusta Releases – CoffeeTalk

Blue Bottle Coffee continues its tradition of rare specialty coffee launches with two new offerings focusing on coffee species diversity. The recently released Vietnam Quang Tri 96B Excelsa natural bean is notable for its rarity and unique characteristics, being less than 1% of global coffee production. This bean is followed by the upcoming launch on September 1st of “Beyond Arabica,” which features a blend of Indian Excelsa and Vietnamese Robusta.

Vietnam, with its ideal conditions for coffee cultivation—including dramatic mountain ranges, lush canopies, and mineral-rich soils—has traditionally produced Robusta coffee. However, new generations of farmers are enriching this narrative by cultivating specialty-grade coffees. The “Beyond Arabica” blend, priced at $32 per package, is crafted solely without Arabica, mixing Excelsa from the South India Coffee Company, known for its fruity sweetness, and Robusta from Great Cherry in Vietnam, which adds a full-bodied, bittersweet depth. This blend features tasting notes of sweet tobacco, sarsaparilla, and dark rum, and is available as a whole bean or espresso/cappuccino in cafes and online.

Additionally, the Exceedingly Rare Vietnam Quang Tri 96B Excelsa Natural blend, priced at $45 per bag, is a light roast that originates from the Quang Tri region and is distinguished by its unique processing—120 hours of anaerobic fermentation followed by a 30-day slow-drying process. Tasting notes for this blend include lychee, papaya, and stevia, and it is available for a limited time as pour-over at select cafes and online in very limited quantities. Blue Bottle Coffee has previously engaged with Excelsa and other lesser-known coffee species through unique experiences in markets like Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong.

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