We may treat ourselves to a favorite gourmet blend coffee from time to time, but it is probably safe to bet that your splurge coffee is much less expensive than these. Not only are the prices of the world’s most expensive coffees shocking, but you won’t believe how some of them are made.
Kopi Luwak is widely and proudly proclaimed the most expensive coffee in the world. It has a unique flavor but is short in supply, largely due to its rather nontraditional processing method. The limited supply of Kopi Luwak coffee keeps prices in the area of $400 per pound. Why so expensive? In order to acquire the distinctive Kopi Luwak flavor, coffee berries are first eaten by the Vietnamese civet weasel. Then the beans are painstakingly collected from their feces.
Hacienda La Esmeralda coffee from Panama shares this mind-boggling price point but, thankfully, not the collection method. Instead, this carefully cultivated coffee bean is in low supply and high demand because of the rarity of this highly prized coffee.
Apparently, some other coffee farmers thought the Vietnamese growers had a great idea, because a similarly expensive coffee comes from the fields of Thailand. From the coffee plantation, fed to an elephant, and then harvested from feces for your cup. Doesn’t sound particularly appealing to me, but this Black Ivory coffee is reputed to be smooth and chocolaty. The elephants’ digestion is responsible for removing the trademark bitterness from the coffee beans. Not sold by the pound, you can enjoy a single cup of Black Ivory coffee for about $70.
If these options sound out of your price range – or sense of adventure – Hav-a-Cup is still happy to provide you with the more reasonably priced gourmet coffee that you love having at your side throughout the work day.
