What Is the World’s Most Expensive Coffee? (Solved & Explained!)

The world’s most expensive coffee is Black Ivory from Thailand. This costs a whopping $1,100 for one pound. What makes this so pricey is the fact that it comes from the specially harvested dung of Thai elephants. This means the harvest of each bean is deliberate with meticulous selection.

The whole process around Black Ivory is what makes it so expensive. But the crowning factor is its ratio of undigested versus fully digested coffee cherries. While there are other types of coffee that are also expensive, Black Ivory is king in this regard.

Why Is Black Ivory Coffee So Expensive?

The small output per year is the main reason why Black Ivory coffee is so expensive. There are many factors that come into the equation. This includes coffee cherry availability, how hungry the elephants are, how many beans partially digest and the ability of the farmers to recover the intact beans.

Because so many coffee cherries are necessary to produce the final product, the price is exorbitantly high. To produce a mere two pounds (one kilogram) requires at least 72 pounds (33 kilograms) of coffee cherries. This is because most of the cherries aren’t recoverable after the elephant fully digests them.

From Where Does Black Ivory Coffee Come?

Black Ivory coffee comes from the Black Ivory Coffee Company Ltd., based in the province of Surin, Thailand. Here, they care for and house wayfaring elephants that face the threat of poaching and other nefarious human activity.

Dung Harvesting

The beans themselves derive from the dung of these elephants after their digestive enzymes work on the beans’ proteins. Coffee farmers harvest the best 100% Arabica coffee cherries picked from a 1500-meter altitude. The cherries then get mixed into the elephant’s food which can include things like bananas, rice or tamarind, to name a few.

Bean Processing

Once the food fully digests and the elephants defecate after about 12 to 72 hours, the farmers then harvest the undigested beans. They then take these to the local high school and pay final-year seniors to perform the cleaning, raking and sun-drying of the beans.

When the beans reach a particular moisture level, they then undergo hulling and machine sorting while also ensuring weight density. Someone hand inspects each bean for defects, imperfections and proper size. They select only the largest ones of a similar weight to ensure an even roast and balanced taste.

Fresh Upon Ordering

Each batch and shipment undergoes preparation and roasting upon ordering. It doesn’t sit around for any amount of time and roasted only in small, manageable batches. This ensures freshness and the ultimate in taste.

What Does Black Ivory Coffee Look Like?

Black Ivory coffee looks like most other coffees. It’s a Thai-variety of Arabica bean that’s a medium roast. So, it will be dark brown to blackish in color. Because the company believes in freshness, there are only whole beans available for purchase.

How Does Black Ivory Coffee Taste?

Black Ivory coffee reportedly provides one of the most distinctive cups of Joe. It apparently has notes of cacao or chocolate with spice, tobacco and leather alongside hints of cherry and grass. There is no acidity or bitterness with a delicate dance on the palette and tea-like consistency.

What’s the Best Way to Prepare Black Ivory Coffee Beans?

You can prepare Black Ivory coffee beans in any way you prefer. However, it’s best to use the company’s 1840s French Style siphon. It slowly releases the essence for encapsulating the delicate flavor and aroma of the beans.

How Many Pounds of Black Ivory Coffee Beans Output Each Year?

Farmers only harvest 475 pounds of Black Ivory coffee beans each year.

Where Can You Buy Black Ivory Coffee?

You can buy Black Ivory coffee from their online store. It will take several weeks because of how they produce each batch fresh to order. Alternatively, you can buy a cup at a select five-star luxury hotel starting at around $50.

Are There Any Other Coffee Beans that Are Expensive?

There are several other expensive beans on the market. Granted, they’re not as expensive as Black Ivory Coffee, but they have a steep price nonetheless.

• Kopi Luwak: Meaning “Civet Coffee,” this Arabica-style bean comes from the defecation of civets in Sumatra and Indonesia. It costs about $650 per pound providing a smooth, clean and acidity-free cup that’s chocolaty, fruity, sweet and floral.
• Coffea Liberica: Grown in South Africa and roasted in Canada, Liberica is its own variety of bean. This is not Arabica or Robusta and costs around $500 per pound. It has a sweet cocoa taste with a smokiness to it along with citrus and hints of coconut.
• Port of Mokha: Coming in at around $200 per pound, this coffee comes from several Yemeni Arabica varietal beans and roasted in California. It has notes of deep, dark chocolate with a tropical fruity sweetness.
• St. Helena: Produced with an Arabica Bourbon varietal from Yemen on the UK Territory in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, this coffee costs about $160 per pound. It has notes of rich black cherry that comes with a pleasant fruity brightness and a chocolaty aftertaste.
• Ospina Dynasty Gran Café Premier Classé Grand Cru: Produced in the Andes of Colombia since 1835, this costs about $150 per pound. However, it’s technically more expensive than Black Ivory if you buy it from them directly, at $770 per 8.8 ounces. It has a wine-like aftertaste that’s fruity, crisp and clean.
• Hacienda La Esmeralda Special Geisha Coffee: This Ethiopian-variety of coffee bean comes from Panama. It has a price tag of about $65 per pound. A cup has notes of strong lavender and chocolate along with hints of pink grapefruit, myrrh and sandalwood.
• Blue Mountain: For just over $50 per pound, this Arabica bean from the Blue Mountains region of Jamaica is top of the line. Coveted mostly by the Japanese, it has a mild and refined taste that’s sweetly creamy with a touch of chocolate.