The World's Most Expensive Coffee

The 601 Java Jive

It’s not every day that you get the chance to sample the ‘world’s most expensive…’ well, ANYTHING. But as an avid lover of coffee from around the world, in any form, be it straight-up black, cappuccino, or an eye-opening espresso, I certainly wasn’t going to miss the opportunity to taste the world’s most expensive cup of java.

The coffee was the world famous Panama Hacienda La Esmeralda Cañas Verdes lot Montana Geisha Natural. So what makes it so special that you kind of feel you need to drink it with your pinkies up, you ask?

It all started by having a coffee produced by the Peterson family, who just happen to be one of the top producers of Geisha coffee in the world. The previous record high for the most expensive coffee belongs to them as well, so they’ve only outdone themselves.

When harvested, there was only 1,384.98 pounds of the red ripe coffee cherries. After being handpicked and dried for eight days on a concrete patio, the berries reached an ideal humidity level of 10.5 per cent, which after some careful processing left only 150.002 pounds of the green coffee...just enough to be eligible for the Best of Panama competition.

It placed first in the exotic naturals category with an impressive score of 94.115 out of 100.

I had the opportunity to try this one-of-a-kind brew at Seven Fortunes Coffee Roasters in Dubai. Upon arrival, I was presented with my half of an ounce of beans that would soon be ground and made into a cup of the most expensive coffee in the world.

The baristas at Seven Fortunes take their coffee seriously. Each attendee that afternoon had their own small amount of coffee beans and each attendee’s coffee was ground independently from the next to ensure that each cup had exactly one-half ounce of ground coffee.

After being carefully ground, the precious grounds were placed in a Chemex pour over coffee maker, which is very nice for presentation as it combines a pour over filter cone with a glass decanter below.

Exactly 9 fluid ounces of water was heated to 194 degrees Fahrenheit, so just under boiling, careful as not to burn the precious coffee grounds. As the filter slowly did it’s job, it only took about 5 minutes from start to finish until I had my perfect cup of Geisha coffee from Panama.

All of the hype was justified. The brew had a hinted hue of red in my cup and from the first sip there was a nose and slight palate of gentle florals and fruits but yet still bold and commanding. As the coffee cooled the aroma and flavor changed making each sip different from the last.

I came to find out later, that all of the coffee that Seven Fortunes had purchased was exclusively used for the event.

I was told that they aren’t in it to make money on something this special, the idea was to get the small amount that they had, less than 1 pound, to as many people as they could so everybody who wanted to could enjoy it. The nominal fees that were charged simply covered the coffee and for it to arrive in the UAE.

Well done Seven Fortunes, I can’t wait until the next perfect cup o’ joe. Pinkies up!