Most expensive coffees in the world have you thought this question? Then what’s in your mind do you remember.
Then think again, as we’re about to show you the most expensive coffees in the world. From plantations in Panama, Hawaii & Thailand, you’ll be blown away by how some of these unique coffees are produced.
Warning: You might not want to drink a couple of them after this!
The 10 Most Expensive Coffees in the World
The list of coffees and figures mentioned below have been compiled from various sources around the web, such as Money Inc, Finance Online & Javalush.
These are the top 10 most expensive coffees in the world:
10. Hawaiian Kona – $35/Pound
Hawaiian Kona is the first of ten of the most expensive coffees on our list and it will set you back a good $35 per pound.
To be labelled as “Kona Coffee”, it has to come directly from the districts of Kona in Hawaii.
The Kona districts make for the perfect conditions for growing coffee beans.
It’s sunny most of the day with little wind and a lite rain shower in the afternoons, and the soil is extremely mineral-rich from the volcanic lands.
Hawaiian Kona is known to have a fantastic flavor and its taste can only be described as unique.
The beans are considered to be very rare and in short supply, which means that producers have resorted to mixing pure Kona with cheaper beans to create a more affordable blend. You can expect roughly 10% of most packets to be 100% pure Kona.
If you want to have the full Kona experience, make sure you look out for packets labelled “100% Kona Coffee”.
9. Los Planes – $40/Pound
Los Planes is a homegrown family-owned coffee plantation in El Salvador.
It’s the first coffee on our list to win awards, such as taking second place at the 2006 cup of excellence and sixth place at the same event in 2011.
This award-winning coffee comes in a variety of flavors, which is quite uncommon, including tangerine with caramel and brown sugar threads.
It does come with a pretty steep price tag, $40 per pound, however, Los Planes has managed to build up a substantial loyal customer base that loves the variety of flavors and refreshing taste.
Los Planes coffee is the ninth most expensive coffee in the world.
8. Fazenda Santa Ines – $50/Pound
Next up, we have Fazenda Santa Ines, a Brazilian coffee bean that costs approximately $50 per pound.
It’s grown near the base of the Mantiquera mountains in Brazil and is well known for its fruity and sweet flavor.
With over 100 years of coffee growing experience behind it, Fazenda Santa Ines has managed to develop a large following around the world, making it easy to justify its $50 per pound price tag.
It placed eighth in the 2009 Cup of Excellence competition and critics say that it’s an outstanding cup and excellent value.
7. Jamaican Blue – $50/Pound
Jamaican Blue, priced at $50 per pound, is grown in the Jamaican Blue mountains at approximately 5,000 feet.
The area in which the coffee beans grow receives a good amount of rainfall year-round and has well-fertilized soil, allowing the beans to flourish.
It’s often described as a mild-tasting coffee and lacks any immediate bitterness or unpleasant after tastes.
Jamaican Blue managed to find a receptive audience in Japan and has become massively popular in Japanese culture. Now, the Japanese are the biggest importers of the brand.
The reasons for this are not 100% clear, however, it’s most likely due to the mild taste, which is popular with people that can’t stand bitter tasting coffee.
6. Molokai – $51/Pound
Another coffee that’s grown in what could be considered to be the best state in the United States for growing coffee, Hawaii, Molokai is by far one of the best examples of Hawaiian grown coffee on the market.
It’s grown, produced and roasted in Kualapu’u, Maui County, which has some of the worlds best coffee growing conditions, which combined with years of skill and refining, allow Molokai to be sold at approximately $51 per pound.
5. St. Helena – $79/Pound
The fifth most expensive coffee in the world is St.Helena, coming in at roughly $79 per pound.
Found in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, roughly 1,200 miles from the west coast of Africa, St. Helena’s main claim to fame was imprisoning Napoleon Bonaparte on the island.
Its geographical location plays a big part in the conditions in which the coffee is grown, which can not be found anywhere else in the world.
Also, geographically, it’s a pretty difficult location to export from, which does play a part in the $79 price tag.
However, because of its flavor, it has built a substantial fan base, so the company is able to charge a good premium for providing coffee that people enjoy.
4. Kopi Luwak – $160/Pound
Kopi Luwak coffee is probably the most recognised and well-known coffee on the list and it will run you around $160 per pound.
What makes this expensive coffee interesting, and different from the rest, is the way the producers actually acquire the coffee beans.
Made in Indonesia, Kopi Luwak is produced by feeding coffee cherries to Asian Palm Civets; which are small carnivorous mammals, and then waiting to collect the coffee beans from thee civets faeces.
These unique animals ferment the coffee cherries during their digestion process, releasing certain enzymes which give the beans their unique flavor.
Because of this unique process, Kopi Luwak draws in thousands of tourists to Indonesia each year to try the local coffee.
Kopi Luwak is also called civet coffee, in honor of the mammal.
3. Hacienda La Esmeralda – $350/Pound
Coming in at number three on our list of the most expensive coffees in the world is Hacienda La Esmeralda.
Selling at $350 per pound in a recent auction, Hacienda La Esmeralda has managed to establish itself as one of the top coffee producers in the world; gaining a worldwide customer base and therefore being able to charge accordingly.
The coffee is grown on the side of Mount Baru in Panama, underneath the shade of guava trees.
Its success is the result of years of experience and expertise producing exceptional harvests and their commitment to quality.
Hacienda La Esmeralda has won numerous competitions over the years and holds several awards to its name.
2. Finca El Injerto – $500+/Pound
The second most expensive coffee in the world is Finca El Injerto, at a whopping $500+ per pound.
The majority of reasoning for why this coffee costs so much, is due to the small rich beans it’s made from, being extremely rare.
Anything that’s this rare usually costs a lot of money, and this coffee is no exception.
However, it’s easy to see why the coffee has such a high price tag; as Finca El Injerto has won the cup of excellence seven times as well as finishing second in the competition the times it didn’t win.
Finca El Injerto also has a unique washing process, which improves the quality of the grain; whereby it washes the beans in a single channel and breaks them down twice.
Coffee connoisseurs and aficionados around the world have come to love this brand and are willing to pay the hefty $500+ price tag.
1. Black Ivory Coffee – $1,000+/Pound
Black Ivory Coffee is the worlds most expensive coffee.
It starts at around about $1,000 per pound but has been known to sell for as much as $1,500 per pound.
The Black Ivory Coffee Company based in Northern Thailand, and like the Kopi Luwak coffee we previously mentioned; they to have developed a one of a kind coffee producing process that most people wouldn’t believe.
Black Ivory Coffee make their coffee by feeding Arabica cherries to elephants on their plantation.
From there, they wait whilst the cherries are broken down and digested by the elephant and then collect the beans from their faeces.
Similar to the civet’s digestive system, when the beans pass through the elephants digestive system, they also pick up new flavors from enzymes, whilst breaking down unwanted proteins in the beans that are responsible for causing a bitter taste.
This process ensures Black Ivory Coffee is able to produce a smooth, unique great-tasting cup of coffee.
Due to only a few cherries surviving the production process, because they’re either over chewed, lost after excretion or fragmented; Black Ivory Coffees price reflects the rarity of each pound accordingly, which is why it costs $1,000 per pound.