Coffee, arguably the most common and popular drink in the world, is a vital part of everyday life for many of us. Extraordinary, once in a lifetime coffee, can be like liquid gold for the true coffee enthusiast.
Some luxury commodity coffee beans out there are sure to impress and stimulate the mind and senses. With rare ingredients, small seasonal harvests, manual plantation processing and vibrant flavor profiles; exclusive beans offer irreplaceable and unforgettable experiences.
Here’s a look at the Top 5 most expensive coffee beans in the world.
5. St. Helena Coffee ($110 /Pound)
For those who wonder what the coffee drink-of-choice was for the infamous Napoleon Bonaparte, look no further than this coffee bean. This bean is ardently cultivated on the island of St. Helena.
This off the beaten track island is located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,100 miles off the west coast of Africa. Devoted lovers of this brand are more than willing to shell out the hefty price tag to drink this sort of high-quality, hinted fragrant citrus and caramel flavor.
4. Kopi Luwak ($160/Pound)
This well-known Indonesian coffee is made with the help from an animal known as the Asian palm civet. They happily consume the coffee cherries and ferment them during digestion. They proceed to deposit the beans in their feces from where they are carefully collected, cleaned and processed.
The unique taste of this coffee is because of the enzymes secreted by the Asian palm civet during its digestion. If you can get past “the process”, it’s well worth a superbly delicious cup.
3. Hacienda La Esmeralda ($350/Pound)
This Central American coffee has won numerous prestigious awards in worldwide competitions over the past few years. Cultivated on the rugged sides of Mount Baru in Panama in the shade of guava trees, this extremely rare coffee-bean delicacy offers a truly different tasting experience for true connoisseurs. The mild-smooth and densely rich flavor is not a common trait for this region of the world.
2. Finca El Injerto Coffee ($500/Pound)
This Guatemalan coffee gem is made from hyper-rare, rich, small beans and is recognized for its superior grain quality. The bean collecting and roasting process also includes an enhanced washing in a single channel and breaking them twice. There may be no other coffee in the world that reflects the expression of its terroir characterized by the climate and soil attributes than Finca El Injerto.
1. Black Ivory Coffee ($800/Pound)
The crème de la crème of coffee is made from Arabica beans by the Black Ivory Coffee Company in Thailand. This coffee is prepared by specific elephants that consume the beans and process them during digestion. Their stomach acid breaks down the bean proteins to give a distinctive full-bodied flavor.
Black Ivory Coffee is exclusive and rare because there are only a small amount of beans available at any given time. If you’re one of the lucky ones in the right place at the right time, don’t hesitate to experience a cup of the most expensive coffee in the world.