What is the Most Expensive Coffee?

Humanity they say runs on coffee. This is no doubt one of the reasons for which the richness of coffee cannot be underestimated. Coffee can best be described as a fuel source for humans because it acts as a driving force for our day-to-day activities.

When people think of coffee, they think of its ability to boost their energy. However, according to some research, roasted beans offer some important health benefits. Benefits like a lower risk of liver cancer, type 2 diabetes, and heart failure.

 

Researchers have looked into the nutritional benefits of coffee for years. Some health conditions like Diabetes, Cardiovascular disease, liver diseases, and inflammatory bowel disease have gotten better from coffee. There are shreds of evidence that support most of these claims.

Coffee contains some useful nutrients. Some of which include riboflavin (vitamin B-2), Vitamin B-3, potassium, Magnesium, and various antioxidants. In 2014, researchers gathered data from over 48,000 people and found out that those who increased their consumption of coffee had a lower risk of having diabetes than those who did not increase their intake.

Another research conducted by Italian was able to establish that drinking coffee causes a 40 percent reduced risk associated with liver cancer. In addition, a 2012 study revealed that drinking coffee helps lower the risk of developing heart failure by had about 11% compared to those who did not.

All these health benefits explain why people take coffee and enjoy it. The nutritional benefits of coffee are so numerous that people have developed a unique love for it. All these contribute to why some people will do anything to get the best flavored coffee.

 

How coffee is made

The coffee bean is a seed that comes from cherry berries. The coffee berries usually contain beans that are split into two. Although coffee beans don’t split, they are called pea berry because they assume the shape of a pea. The process of getting a cup of coffee starts from a simple seed. Coffee undergoes the following processes.

1. Planting

The coffee bean are planted in its unique soil.

2. Harvesting

The berries are harvested by a machine or hand-picked. The fruits of the berries are removed to get the beans out.

3. Processing

The coffee beans are then processed subsequently. The method of processing can either be dry or wet processing.

• Dry processing is the oldest method of processing coffee. The coffee beans are placed in the sun and left to dry for about two weeks. During these two weeks, the coffee beans are being turned from time to time to dry evenly.
• Wet processing, on the other hand, is a modern method of processing coffee beans. This process takes place almost immediately after the beans are harvested. The process involves washing and fermenting the harvested beans. During this process, the pulp on the beans becomes softer, then rinsed off. This method is currently the most adopted, as it prevents the beans from being damaged.

4. Sorting

The sorting process comes after the beans have been processed. The bad beans are separated from the good ones and thrown out. At this point, the beans are called the “green coffee beans.”

5. Roasting

This is the final step of the coffee bean processing but not the final step in making coffee. The roasting process is the final and most important step in coffee bean production. This process requires the perfect timing and setting of temperature to provide the perfect product. The coffee’s flavor depends on the beans roasting formula. The longer the beans roast, the more intense the flavor. Once the beans are completely roasted, the finished products are shipped to various retailers or distributors. The coffee beans are widely shipped from Africa to various parts of the world. Everyone serves their coffee in different ways.

6. Brewing

Before coffee eventually finds its way into the various cups around the world, it undergoes one last process. This is the process of brewing. The brewing process is the final step of getting a cup of joe. In the United States, for instance, people brew their coffee in coffee pots. The coffee is more than the final brewing process. It is a long process, which starts with harvesting simple coffee beans from berries and eventually finds its way into the cups of several consumers around the world.

There are diverse ways to brew a coffee. The method adopted depends on the consumer’s taste. Some people like the roasted taste of the coffee drink, while some prefer the creamy taste. Below are the various methods of brewing a coffee:

1. The Drip method of brewing: This method is a very common way of brewing a traditional coffee. It simple involves you pouring your medium ground coffee beans into the brew basket before running it through a programmed machine.
2. The Pour Over method of brewing: This method provides a more polished way of making a very strong coffee drink. This method involves you putting finely ground beans into a filter basket. Then pour boiling water over it slowly and the resulting drip would give you a smooth cup of coffee.
3. Espresso method of brewing: This method involves putting dark roasted finely ground beans into a filter. Then pass hot water that has been pressurized through it. The product is a concentrated shot produced from the force.
4. Cold Brew method: This method involves soaking coarsely grounded coffee in water at room temperature for a long time. The outcome is a special cup of coffee that has a high caffeine content and a low acidity. The best way to enjoy it is when cold.

 

Coffee Beans Types

The types of coffee beans used in brewing a tasteful cup of coffee are:

1. The Arabica:This is the most commonly used and available coffee bean. The Arabica accounts for about 60 percent of the world’s coffee production. The coffee bean originated hundreds of years in the highlands of Ethiopia. They are of high-quality, very smooth and lacks the quality of bitterness.
2. The Robusta:They are the second most populous coffee bean. It is a very passionate bean and resistant to disease. Its origin is from the sub-Saharan region of Africa, and has since continued to be an important primary producer, alongside Indonesia. Most budget-friendly coffee generally comprises about a 100 percent of the Robusta coffee beans. The coffee bean, has a high caffeine content, is harsher and much more bitter. For this reason, it is also found in mixtures.
3. The Liberica: This type of coffee bean is hardly found in Europe and North America. The production of Liberica almost entirely happens in Malaysia, most especially preferred by the Filipinos. The coffee bean is uniquely known to have an inconsistent flavor. Sometimes they are woody and smoky while other times, they have a floral flavor with a harsh finish.

 

List Of The World Most Expensive Coffees

Coffee is a cherished drink that is grown and drank globally. At its highest class, coffee is more like an aged Bordeaux. Its prize can get as high as possible, even up to a four-digit prize value for each pound. Below is a list of the most luxurious options. They are the ones worthy of being celebrated.

1. Molokai Coffee: The Molokai coffee is from a small island called Molokai. It is a Hawaiian variant that has been popular and still gaining its popularity. This brand was launched in the middle of the 1800s by a trader from Germany but did not go into the market up until 1980s. This bean of high value is known as red cutuai. This coffee bean flourishes in the volcanic soils of Hawaii where it is grown and produced. The bean has the tendency of giving a very rich taste. This coffee is priced at about 60 dollars per pound.

2. Saint Helena Coffee: The Saint Helena coffee is from a small island called Saint Helena. This South Atlantic Island produces a sought-after and rare coffee bean. This region is a part of the British terrain, particularly the place of Napoleon’s exile. On this island, the coffee bean which are green-tipped dominates the land. They initially originated from Yemen before finding its way onto then Island. The growing and processing of this bean are quite difficult. It is adored and cherished for its delicacy and unique distinction. This Saint Helena coffee bean is priced at 145 dollars per pound.
3. Finca El Injerto: The Finca El Injerto is a Guatemalan coffee. One unique feature about Guatemalan coffee is that they are usually planted at an altitude of more than 5000 feets. The origin of this coffee bean is a single farm which is located in the Highlands of Huehuetenango. The farm used to originally be a sugarcane farm owned and managed by the Aguirre family. The Finca El Injerto is unique because they sacrifice quantity in a bid to get quality coffee bean. This coffee bean is priced at 500 dollars per pound.
4. Kopi Luwak: The Kopi Luwak is a very expensive Indonesian luxurious coffee. The process of obtaining this coffee bean is what makes it a very expensive. The cherries are consumed by the civet cat and therefore undergoes fermentation in their digestive system. The civet cats are native to the tropical forests. Asides adjusting the coffee bean chemically, the cats are believed to only eat the very best of the cherries just by smelling them. This produces little quantity per time due to the difficulty of the production process. The product is a pricey coffee beans gotten from this exclusive process. This coffee is priced at 600 dollars per pound.
5. Black Ivory: The black ivory coffee originates from the northern region of Thailand. The process of creating these beans like many other luxury coffees does not sound appetizing. The coffee beans are processed through the stomach of elephants. When passed through the stomach of the elephants, a special group of enzymes acts on the beans to make them extremely smooth and tasty. This involved process produces very few beans that are still whole. This is what contributes to how pricey the beans get because the elephants tend to digest most of the beans. Coffee retailers and consumers see the resulting outcome as the most special and prized coffee on earth. The coffee is priced at 1500 dollars per pound.

 

The Animal Poop Coffee Beans

Some coffees get their flavor from the digestive tracts of different animals. Some of the animal poop, which adds flavor to the coffee, are:

1. The Civet Coffee: This is the Kopi Luwak Coffee, as discussed earlier; it is unceremoniously called the cat poop coffee. The name of this coffee originates from the palm civet found in Asia, which is a nocturnal animal whose natural habitat are the Sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. After consuming the coffee cherries by the civet cats, they undergo the process of fermentation in their digestive tract before being passed out as poop all within 24 hours. The civet poop is collected, then the coffee beans are carefully picked out of the poop before being washed and then lastly roasted. A cup of coffee obtained from the civet cat costs about 35 to 80 dollars in the US. The coffee is so expensive because most civet coffees are derived from the cats found in the wild, and having to track them around the jungle to obtain their poop can be very tasking.
2. Coatis Coffee: The coatis coffee is very similar to the civet coffee in terms of processing and harvesting. The only difference is that the animal who’s dropping the coffee beans are picked are from the racoon family. They are likewise called the Uchunaris. The process of digestion that the coatis coffee passes through makes it less bitter.
3. The Monkey poop Coffee: The monkey poop coffee is very rare. It is found in Taiwan and India. The coffee beans are processed by two species of monkeys; they are the Formosan rock monkey and the Rhesus Monkeys. They process the beans by not swallowing them but rather spit them back out after chewing them. They can subsequently be picked off the ground by people. This makes the monkey coffee bean more pleasing to imagine than the poop coffee of the Civet cat. The monkey coffee produces a brilliant cup of joe that has a delicious and intricate taste. Just like the other special coffees, monkey coffees are expensive and difficult to find. In addition, it has a heavy body, pleasant round acidity, and only trace amounts of bitterness.

 

Conclusion

Understanding the general process of making coffee makes the unique process of each brand more relatable. The value placed on each coffee type is a product of its process. The difficulty in obtaining the bean is a strong determining factor of the price tag on the coffee. The black ivory, the world’s most expensive coffee, would be worth the price tag to coffee lovers in the richness of taste.