HOW MUCH WOULD YOU PAY FOR THE PERFECT CUP OF COFFEE?
Since the 1500s, the Italians have developed an enviable coffee culture. A culture many other countries also enjoy today.
Below, we take a look at some of the world's most expensive coffees:
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Black Ivory Coffee
The world's rarest coffee will set you back around 150 AUD for a small bag.
Why?
It is refined in an incredibly unique (and perhaps unbelievable) way - by passing the beans through an elephant's digestive system.
Yep, that's right. To get the distinguished flavour this coffee boasts, the beans are first fed to elephants before being picked out of their dung after they've been digested. While this may sound outrageous (and rather disgusting), the founder believes it's the perfect way to get the best-tasting coffee.
He suggests that because elephants are herbivores, their bodies are adept at breaking down greens and grasses through fermentation.Fermentation is a key process when it comes to things like wine and coffee because it helps improve the flavour by removing the bitterness and bringing out the sugar. That's why this coffee is advertised as being floral and chocolatey, while also being very soft, which makes it a little bit more like tea than coffee.
Kopi Luwak
If you thought the above fermenting process was a one-off,you'd be wrong. Kopi Luwak is also made by fermenting the beans in an animal first, but this time the animal in question is a civet(a cat-like creature).
Again, the animal's digestive system helps remove any acidity to create a smoother, better-tasting coffee. Coffee lovers have said the drink has hints of rose, tea and plum.
This too will set you back quite a bit of money, costing around 200 AUD for a 200g bag.
Hacienda La Esmeralda
Over the years, Hacienda La Esmeralda has been revered as the world's best. Grown in Boquete in Panama and derived from heirloom coffee trees (a variety that will only grow 1,500 metres above sea level), the coffee is said to be light and to have an unmistakable citrus flavour.
The coffee costs around 150 AUD, with its high price being due to the rarity of the trees it is obtained from, the short harvest seasons and expensive labour costs. Sometimes, it is only available through auctions,too.
Other expensive coffees to watch out for include Saint Helena Coffee, Fazenda Santa Ines and Jamaican Blue Mountain Coffee - all of which will set you back around 75 AUD per pound (a tenth of the price of some of the more expensive varieties listed above!).
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