In most hobbies, there are entry level products, mid level products, and higher end products. With fountain pen collecting, some pens cost only a couple dollars, while some can cost a few thousand dollars.
Coffee is very similar in this sense, meaning that there is inexpensive coffee that is widely available, and there is some coffee that costs hundreds of dollars per pound. Here is a list, in no order, of some of the most prized coffee in the world.
1. Molokai Coffee, from Hawaii. $50/lb
This coffee is grown in one of the few places in the United States where coffee can be grown: Kualapu’u, Maui County in Hawaii.
2. Kopi Luwak, Indonesia. $150/lb
Kopi Luwak is defiantly one of the most expensive and prized types of coffee available, considering its extremely unique processing method, involving a civet. These small cat like mammals are fed unprocessed coffee cherries, where they are then fermented inside its stomach, and then leaves the civet a few hours later where it is collected, washed, and packaged. There is a fair amount of controversy in this delicacy, seeing how the civets are sometimes kept in small cages, as opposed to being allowed to roam freely in an enclosed area.
3. Black Ivory Coffee, Thailand. $50/cup
Much like Kopi Luwak, Black Ivory coffee is harvested after being processed by an animal, but in this case, it is harvested from elephants. This coffee apparently has strong chocolate notes, accompanied by a small amount of cherry in the aftertaste, mainly from the fermentation inside of the Elephant’s digestive system.
4. Hacienda La Esmeralda, Panama. $350/lb
This is the most expensive coffee I have seen so far, with a whopping price tag of $350 for a single pound. Hacienda La Esmeralda is grown in extremely small batches, and has earned an almost endless amount of awards worldwide for its unique and smooth flavor.
5. St. Helena, St. Helena. $80/lb
Full of citrus with a strong floral aroma, this coffee can be traced back all the way to Napoleon Bonaparte. Being Napoleon’s favorite coffee, he greatly endorsed it, and would often tend to the crops himself.
6. Coffee Yauco Selecto AA, Puerto Rico. $25/lb
While this coffee is not even close to being the most expensive one on this list, it has been growing in popularity substantially in recent years, seeing how mild the flavor is, while containing complex nuances.
7. Blue Mountain Coffee, Jamaica. $50/lb
This coffee is among the most prized coffee in the world, and undergoes a rigorous inspection to be certified as real Blue Mountain coffee, where just about each and every individual coffee bean is inspected. Like most on this list, it is amazingly smooth, and lacks any real bitterness.
8. Starbucks Rwanda Blue Bourbon, Rwanda. $25/lb
As strange as it seems, with the less than desirable reputation Starbucks has among coffee aficionados, this specific roast has peaked the interest of many. Hailing from Gatare and Karengera in Rwanda, this roast was first offered in 2004 when the company visited the farms, and discovered how exceptional the beans grown in these regions are.
9. Fazenda Santa Ines, Brazil. $50/lb
This specific coffee is grown on a small family operated farm, that uses a nearby river to provide irrigation for the crops. Frazenda Santa Ines coffee is 100% organic, ethically sourced, and has been providing the world with high quality and caramel sweet coffee for generations.
10. El Injerto, Guatemala. $50/lb
Hailing from the Huehuetenango region in Guatemala, this coffee has earned several awards for its outstanding flavor that is only achievable within one of the best growing regions in Guatemala.