Coffee has been a part of our daily diet since time immemorial. For centuries people have grown coffee beans to produce drinks with medicinal or mood-boosting qualities. Its strong aroma and rich taste instantly indulge your senses with one sip.
No matter where it comes from, coffee is now an indispensable part of the global diet. From hot or cold breakfast, dinners, and evening drinks to the main ingredient in cakes, ice cream, and pancakes, coffee has been used in some of the most imaginative ways. Such is its popularity and demand that some of the most expensive coffees worldwide cost hundreds of dollars for a pound.
Here are the 7 most expensive coffees in the world
1. Luwak Coffee
Luwak Coffee / saiko3p-Fotolia
Kopi Luwak is one of the most expensive coffees in the world. This coffee is produced in Indonesia, one of the things that make Luwak coffee so expensive because it derives value from the unique way the beans are obtained.
Asian palm civets are fed ripe coffee cherries fermented by mammalian digestive enzymes. The workers collected the half-digested nuts from the cat litter and immediately roasted them.
The coffee beans are very lightly roasted only to remove the intense bitterness. They have a fruity and sweet taste with hints of sandalwood, dark chocolate, apricot, and plum.
Nicknamed Kopi Luwak, Kopi Luwak is priced very high, ranging from 2.2 million to 9 million for half a kg.
2. Black Ivory Coffee
Black Ivory Coffee - Wealthy Gorilla
If you think Luwak coffee is a unique drink, then Black Ivory coffee will go one step further. This coffee has a very different production process. The Kopi Ivory Company in Northern Thailand produces it by feeding Arabica cherries to elephants on their plantations. Their digestive enzymes give coffee its strong and rich flavor. The coffee beans are collected from elephant dung, nicknamed elephant dung coffee.
Few coffee cherries are available throughout the year, making it the most expensive coffee and quite rare. One of the specialty coffees, Black Ivory coffee, starts at 15M for around 450g but can go up to almost USD 1500 for the same amount. This perfect cup of expensive coffee costs around USD 50.
These coffee beans are grown on the slopes of Volcán Barú in Panama under the shade of guava trees. The land, which initially belonged to a Swede named Hans Elliot, who formed the farms of Palmira and Cañas Verdes, was purchased by an American banker named Rudolph A Peterson in 1967. However, the highest quality has been grown on land bordering the plantations since the 1890s.
Priced at nearly 5.2 million for around 450g, the Hacienda La Esmeralda estate is known for its years of experience and rich, indulgent, aromatic, fine coffee. The family takes pride in producing the best Geisha coffee in the world, and it sells for a very high price at auctions. It has won several awards, including the coveted 'Best Panama Award' many times.
4. El Injerto Coffee
El Injerto Coffee
With the price of this expensive coffee going up to 7.5 million for around 450g, Finca El Injerto coffee beans are among the rare in the world. Hailing from Guatemala, El Injerto is one of the best coffees in the world and has bagged first place in the Cup of Excellence in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2012, 2013, and 2015.
'Injerto' refers to a fruit native to the area. According to site, "The plantation is managed by third and fourth generations of Aguirre family, who been working on the farm since 1956."
Coffee beans are washed in a very unique way. One channel flows it and breaks it twice, which improves grain quality. This coffee is often auctioned and is known globally among coffee connoisseurs.
This is a specialty product, and to be recognized as pure Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, it must originate from a specific region of the Blue Mountains of Jamaica at an elevation of approximately 1524m. Only really ripe red cherries are picked and floated in the water. The over-fermented beans are removed, and after careful inspection and grinding, the husks are removed, and the beans are separated according to specific parameters.
The slopes of the mountains receive a lot of rainfall which helps the growth of fertile coffee beans. Coffee has a rich flavor and a pleasant mild taste without a strong bitter taste. Because of its popularity, Japan has a large coffee market. More than half of Jamaica Blue Mountain's production is exported to Japan.
Touted as one of the finest varieties, Jamaica Blue Mountain Wallenford are a very balanced acidity and intense flavor. It also comes with a hint of chocolate and orange zest and is awarded 100 percent certification as Blue Mountain Coffee by the Jamaican Ministry of Agriculture. Some of its best varieties cost nearly IDR 2,100,000 for around 450g.
6. Kona Hawaii Coffee
Kona Hawaii - Amazon
To be called Kona coffee, the coffee beans must come directly from the Kona district of Hawaii, which offers the most favorable conditions for them to thrive. The volcanic slopes of the Big Island of Hawaii receive ample sun, wind, and drizzle, contributing to its rich growth.
Pure Hawaiian Kona coffee has a smooth taste and a mild yet unique taste with a delicate aroma. They are generally purchased from single farms instead of the retail market to avoid mixing with local coffee. 'Extra Fancy' is made up of the highest grade in Type I, while Kona Peaberry Hawaiian coffee makes up the Type II grade.
Expensive coffee beans are rare and can cost around IDR 450,000-IDR 525,000 for 450g. It is best to buy pure Kona coffee close to the roast date for maximum flavor and authentic taste.
Finca Los Planes coffee is grown on the family-owned farm of Sergio Ticas Reyes in El Salvador. Initially, only the Typica variety was produced, but in 1966 Reyes introduced the Bourbón and Pacamara varieties. Coffee from the Los Planes estate is processed in the family's wet mill under a gourmet preparation protocol that requires fresh, clean water from natural springs, milling, and sun-drying on the terrace.
With modernization, agriculture can meet a large market. Due to its popularity and demand, the coffee won second place in the 2006 Cup of Excellence and sixth place in 2011.
Although the coffee is quite expensive, Los Planes boasts loyal customers worldwide and has unique flavors like brown sugar thread and tangerine with caramel. The plains of El Salvador, bordering Guatemala and Honduras, have the most favorable conditions for coffee plantations and are therefore some of the best coffee producers in the world.
As one of the most expensive coffees, this coffee is priced at around IDR 600,000 for almost 450g.
That's the list of the 7 most expensive coffees in the world. Have you ever tried one of them?
