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Schomer seems to mention that in order to achieve great crema the blend =
should contain some 
Robusta.
Does he use Robusta in his blends do you suppose?
I know that Maria's does.

FYI FWIW, Illy does not believe Robusta is a crema requisite... MM

On Jan 3, 2004, at 12:35pm, alfred wrote:
<Snip>
The Monkey and Donkey blends (and the Moka Kadir, for that matter) do 
not contain robusta. The Liquid Amber and Classic Italian blends do. 
You can get great crema from any of the non-robusta blends or from a 
single origin bean as well. I think the point is that you can do a lot 
more wrong with robusta in the blend and still get decent looking 
crema, which is not the same as getting good espresso. On the other 
hand, robusta can help, as they say, punch through the milk in 
cappuccinos and lattes (or americanos with milk added). I personally 
like the Classic Italian blend a lot and think it can have a very 
unique flavor that is distinct from a rubber tire.
John Blumel

It's absolutely not necessary to include a Robusta to achieve a great Crema.  
Lots of commercial houses do, most often to hide inferior beans, but also to 
give their Espresso that 'bite' that you can achieve with other, albeit more 
expensive, beans. 
Michael A. Roaster of Vienna, Va.

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yup.