11 Most Expensive Coffees In The World!

I have gathered research to find out the most budget blowing coffees in the world! Some of these coffees are not well known worldwide which makes this list truly unique.

What makes these beans so expensive is due to factors including transportation costs, exotic coffee origins, rare coffee varieties as well as seasonalities.

So keep in mind these factors when going through the list.

So, here are the 11 most expensive coffees:

11. Starbucks Rwandan Blue Bourbon

The ‘cheapest’ most expensive coffee on the list goes to Rwandan Blue Bourbon coffee. This coffee plant is grown in Gatare and Karengara, Rwanda.

You will find that the Blue Bourbon coffee plant is one of the main crops that these farmers grow.

Did you know that the ‘Blue’ refers to the blue-green tint of the unroasted coffee cherries? The word ‘Bourbon’ refers to a variety of arabica sorts in Rwanda.

This plant is grown at mountainous altitudes, reaching up to 5,500 feet high, under the rich volcanic ash! [1]

Cost: $24-$30 / lb

Taste Profile: Slight hints of citrus, lemon, and black cherry that is combined with a spiced nutty flavor.

10. Mamuto AA

Mamuto coffee is grown about 5,000 feet above the district of Kirinyaga.

There are different variations of this coffee including AA, AB, and PB. Mamuto AA coffee is the most expensive coffee out of the variations. It situates beneath the mountainsides of the 17,000 foot Mount Kenya.

The 21-acre farm size has approximately 13 acres of coffee!

These beans are grown deeply under the red-orange volcanic loam. Situating across Kirinyaga’s smooth fluctuating lands.

We recommend brewing this coffee strictly as an americano. This will allow you to enjoy the unique tastes that this coffee delivers.

Cost: $37 / lb

Taste Profile: Rich and velvety body having slight hints of blackberry combined with a drop of fresh tomato juice.

9. Hawaiian Kona

Found on the island of Hawaii, on the mountain hillsides of Hualalai and Mauna Loa. The coffee is grown in ideal conditions with daily rainfall and regular warm weather.

The beans are grown in extremely rich minerals that come from volcanic ash. The beans are considered rare because of their scarcity, which makes these beans so expensive.

Kona coffee is usually blended with 90% of cheaper sorts, making it only 10% pure Kona.

To enjoy the taste of Kona coffee, we recommend buying and consuming packets that say 100% Kona coffee.

Cost: $33-$45 / lb

Taste Profile: Unique, earthy, balanced taste with sweet hints of fruits. chocolate, herbs, and spiced nuts.

8. Los Planes

Found in El Salvador, by a farmer named Sergio Edmundo Ticas Reyes.

These beans are produced from the Pacamara trees, located approximately 5,300 feet high on the Los Planes farm.

What makes this coffee unique is that the coffee beans are abnormally larger than the average coffee bean.

What makes this coffee expensive is due to the small amount of labor to produce this coffee.

Cost: $40 / lb

Taste Profile: Slight hints of blackberry, raspberry, and tangerine. The taste is almost a combination of brown sugar and caramel strains.

7. Fazenda Santa Inês

Found in Brazil, on the base of the Mantiqueira mountains. The production of this coffee dates back over 100 years ago.

The beans are processed using natural mineral water springs in which the cherry skin and fruit are removed.

The sticky skin of the bean is then left to dry naturally until ready.

What makes this coffee so expensive are its shipment costs when bagged and shipped all the way to the UK.

Cost: $45-$50 / lb

Taste Profile: Very sweet and fruity hints of lemon and clove that also have a smooth sweet caramel flavor.

6. Jamaican Blue Mountain

Produced and grown in the volcanic soil on the 7,500 feet high Jamaican Blue Mountains. These mountains are known to be some of the highest mountains in the Caribbean.

With the high humidity and regular rainfall, it allows these arabica coffee beans to be extremely well-flourished! [2]

Cost: $50 / lb

Taste Profile: Mild yet earthy taste with an absence of bitterness. It has a deep aroma with slight hints of cedar, walnut, and a cherry-chocolate delicacy.

5. Ospina Coffee Dynasty Premier Grand Cru

Produced within the oldest plantations of Columbia, grown at high altitudes on the lands of the Andes mountain.

The beans are grown under its volcanic loam and fermented in “pure water” at a temperature of 195-200℉.

Cost: $120-$136 / lb

Taste Profile: Strong hints of berries, chocolate, caramel, and an almond-nutty flavor. It produces a rich yet creamy well-balanced body.

4. Starbucks Reserve Saint Helena Coffee

Found in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, on the tropical volcanic island of St. Helena. The island is located approximately 1,200 miles from the west coast of Africa.

St. Helena is actually the island where Napoleon was thrown out after his capture by the British in 1815.

These delicate beans are referred to as the Green Tipped Bourbon Arabica.

What makes these beans so expensive are the transportation costs and the great intensive care during harvesting. [3]

Cost: $79-$150 / lb

Taste Profile: Clean and well-balanced body with hints of rich, fragrant caramel and citrus, followed by strong floral flavors.

3. Kopi Luwak

The most expensive Indonesian coffee is found throughout South and Southeast Asia but mainly in Indonesia.

The partially digested coffee cherries are consumed and ‘pooped’ out by the yellow-eyed Asian palm civet.

As the cherries pass down the civet, it gets fermented, processed, and then collected. After the beans have been discarded from the civet, it is then cleaned, roasted, and ready to be brewed.

Unfortunately, these civets have been forced to consume these fruits causing health risks. These civets enjoy a diverse diet including insects, seeds, and other fruits.

It is advisable to avoid purchasing these coffee beans due to abusive animal acts. [4]

Cost: $150-$600 / lb

Taste Profile: An earthy, musty body with rich notes of caramel and chocolate. Many people use the word “jungle” to describe this unique flavor.

2. Hacienda La Esmeralda Geisha

Although these beans originated in Ethiopia, it has since flourished on the 5,000-6,000 foot high Mount Baru in Panama.

The beans are grown from the heirloom coffee trees of the Geisha varietal. What makes this one of the most expensive coffees is the short growing season and its high labor costs.

Cost: $350-$600 / lb

Taste Profile: Extremely high acidic notes of citrus flavor that give it an overall lemony taste.

1. Black Ivory

Finally, the most expensive coffee is grown in North Thailand. These arabica cherries are fed and consumed by the Golden Triangle Asian Elephants.

The elephants consist of a unique enzyme that slowly digests the bean. This then creates a unique and smooth mellow taste after processing.

This coffee is so expensive because only 441lbs of the coffee is produced a year by the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation. [5]

Cost: $800-$1500 / lb

Taste Profile: Extreme mellowness with hints of chocolate malt and cherry. The flavor is described as almost a cross between tea and coffee.

The Bottom Line

It seems as if animal droppings make the best and most expensive coffees!

Although these beans are so expensive, we need to consider the above factors. Each type of bean has its own story and its own journey.

So the next time you take a sip from one of these coffees, appreciate the origins and rich flavors that these coffee beans bring out!