TOP 10 MOST EXPENSIVE COFFEE BEANS IN THE WORLD
The Best Coffees in the world come at a steep price. There are many fine coffees in the world. The prices don't always reflect the quality since prices are also primarily affected by the fundamental laws of supply and demand and not necessarily by coffee cupping (professional coffee tasting) results. All of the most expensive coffee beans come from the Arabica coffee plant varietals. This list changes from year to year, and even sometimes within a year as new crops show up on the market and disappear from the market. The facilities that store Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee, for example, were hit with a flood that destroyed a lot of the crop in late 2016, which is set to drive up the price of an already expensive coffee due to lower supplies.
A bit of a sanity check is necessary when thinking about buying some of these coffees. While it's neat to say you've tried some of the most expensive coffees in the world, no coffee's worth 10x or 100x the cost of other standard high-quality arabicas in terms of absolute quality and price. Costa Rican coffees, for example, are well regarded as some of the best coffees in the world and can be purchased for $10-$15/lb. A pound of Kopi Luwak may cost 30x that much but is neither 30x more flavorful nor 30x more delicate. Typically, the higher end of the market is inflated by low supply.
Here is a list of the top ten most expensive coffees in the world.
1) CIVET/ KOPI LUWAK COFFEE BEANS
Kopi Luwak or Civet Coffee is brewed using coffee beans that have already been eaten and expelled by a small mammal known as the Civet.
This nocturnal, weasel-like animal is believed to impart some unique qualities to the beans as they pass through the animal's digestive tract resulting in a distinct lack of bitterness.
This means that the beans only need to be very lightly roasted since roasting is done primarily to remove bitterness from coffee beans. However, the unique processing of the Civet coffee beans means that you will pay much more than regular coffee beans - as much as $600 per pound. Civet coffee is trendy in Indonesia and Vietnam.
2) PANAMA HACIENDA LA ESMERALDA COFFEE BEANS
Cultivated in Boquete, Panama, in the shade of guava trees, this fine coffee is known to cost more than $100 per pound. It grows on the slopes of Mount Baru in western Panama and is known for its delicate taste and aroma.
3) BRAZIL FAZENDA SAO BENEDITO COFFEE BEANS
Cultivated in the Mina Gerias region of Brazil, Fazenda Sao Benedito coffee is known to garner prices of more than $20 per pound.
4) GUATEMALA HUEHUETENANGO COFFEE BEANS
More specifically, the coffee known as El Injerto from the Huehuetenango region of Guatemala can sell for more than $50 per pound. The coffee earned first place in the Cup of Excellence Awards in 2006, sixth in 2007 and third in 2002.
5) EL SALVADOR LOS PLANES COFFEE BEANS
Cultivated in the Catalan region of El Salvador, Los Planes coffee has been known to cost more than $40 per pound. In 2006 this coffee placed second in the Cup of Excellence awards.
6) HAWAII KONA COFFEEBEANS
Cultivated on the volcanic slopes of the Big Island in Hawaii, Kona coffee often sells for more than $30 per pound. The high cost leads many Kona coffee farmers to offer their beans as a Kona coffee blend mixed with lower price beans.
Make sure you get 100% Kona coffee if you want to sample the authentic origin flavors of Hawaii Kona Coffee. The Kona coffee growing region is located on the lower western slopes of Hualalai and Mauna Loa volcanos above Kona town.
Hawaiian Maui also has a reputation for high quality and slightly more affordable cost than the Kona.
7) PUERTO RICO YAUCO SELECTO AA COFFEE BEANS
Cultivated in the Yauco region in the southwestern mountains of Puerto Rico, Yauco Selecto AA is known for its exceedingly mild taste and garners prices of more than $20 per pound.
8) BRAZIL FAZENDA SANTA INES COFFEE BEANS
Cultivated in the Mina Gerais region of Brazil, Fazenda Santa Ines may garner prices of more than $50 per pound. Fazenda Santa Ines coffee earned the highest rating in Brazil's 2006 Cup of Excellence Awards.
9) The Jamaica Blue Mountain Coffee
The grown on the Wallenford Estate in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica is known for its lack of bitterness and a pleasantly mild flavor.
The finest Jamaica Blue Mountain coffees are known to sell for as much as $50 per pound. About four-fifths of every Blue Mountain crop is exported to Japan, which nearly corners this fine Jamaican coffee market.
10) HAITI BLUE PINE FOREST COFFEE BEANS
Haiti's coffee production still suffers from a devastating tsunami that rocked the already poor island in 2010, destroying infrastructure and taking the lives of people involved in all aspects of the coffee business. Coffee production continued thanks to the higher elevations that coffee is grown at - far up the mountainside and out of reach of the waves, but dealt a considerable blow nevertheless.
They are known for having a balanced sweetness, rich flavor, and a medium body. Prices are typically in the $20 - $25/lb range.
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