How much should a cup of coffee cost? With the ongoing third wave of coffee continuing to push boundaries when it comes to both the sourcing of quality ingredients and the prices we’re willing to accept, the answer to that question has gotten harder to pin down. But for a brief moment of time at Klatch Coffee Roasters locations in California, a cup of some of the world’s finest coffee could set you back $75.
That’s the price Klatch charged for cups of coffee brewed from Elida Geisha 803, an ultra-rare and award-winning Panamanian coffee. As the number in its name suggests, these beans sold for an astounding $803 a pound at auction. According to Klatch’s website, Roastmaster and coffee buyer Mike Perry was lucky enough to be on the international jury that awarded this Kopi Luwak variety top honors, scooping up ten of only 100 pounds of Elida Geisha 803 available worldwide. No one else in the United States has any.
So what justifies the price point? Klatch notes that Geisha 803 “is a rare variety of Arabica coffee that came to Panama from a research lab in Costa rica but has its origins in Ethiopia.” In terms of taste, the expensive brew is “known for its floral, tea like and stone fruit flavors with Jasmine, Bergamot, Sugar Cane and Stone Fruit (peach or apricot).” Panamanian coffee beans like these seem to be quite coveted among connoisseurs these days, as a previous record-holder for world’s most expensive cup was also sourced from Panama.
At Klatch San Francisco, baritas (who’ve already trained hundreds of hours just to work there), extra care was applied to pour out the pricey cups. “I actually practiced with something completely different hoping this would go good…” one meticulously-prepared barista told ABC 7 San Francisco.
Of course, the inevitable question: is anyone actually willing to pay $75 for a cup of coffee? The answer is yes— Klatch’s first Elida Geisha 803 tasting run on May 11 sold out, according to their website. From the sound of it, there will be more to come while they still have the coffee in stock. If you’re desperate for award-winning gourmet coffee at a high price but don’t live in California, don’t worry: it seems like you might be able to get 18 grams of beans shipped out to you, if you’re lucky. The good news is that you’ve already hit their $50 free shipping threshold.
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