From Civet coffee to Black Ivory: 5 of the rarest and most expensive coffees on earth

Nothing compares to the feeling of having a cup of coffee to begin the day with. Coffee aficionados would agree that it's more than just a daily dose of caffeine. One can never get tired of coffee. They come in all shapes and sizes! There is coffee for every occasion. You get espresso to kick off the day, some cappuccino if you are catching up with a friend, and Irish brew when you want to indulge a little. Then there are also many varieties of coffee that you don’t get to enjoy regularly. Why? Because they often cost you an arm and a leg! But the aroma, flavour, and experience are on a whole different level.

If you are a coffee lover, you should certainly know about these five rare and most expensive coffees across the world.

Black ivory coffee

Black ivory coffee is luxury in a cup! This coffee is produced in northern Thailand, and costs around $1,500 to $3,000 per kilogram. These Thai Arabica coffee cherries undergo a unique journey before ending up in your cup. The Arabica cherries are fed to elephants, mixed with rice, bananas, and tamarind. These cherries get fermented in their digestive systems for 12 to 72 hours. Later, people collect the beans from the dung, wash, sun-dry, and roast them to get you the $50 cup of coffee. The prices are so high because only 225 kilograms are produced every year. 33 kilograms of cherries are required to produce a kilogram of coffee. Black ivory coffee is a silky and low-acidic brew paired with chocolate, tamarind, and red berry notes.

Kopi Luwak

Kopi Luwak is one of the world’s most exclusive and most expensive coffees. Also known as civet coffee, this coffee originates from Indonesia. This coffee costs from $220 to $1,300 per kilogram. The cost is high due to the particular way the coffee is made. The Asian palm civets eat ripe cherries. They get partially digested, and the beans are collected from their feces. These beans are then washed and roasted to make coffee. The wildly sourced beans are even more expensive. They range from $600 to $1,300 per kilogram. This coffee has an earthy flavour and also has caramel and chocolate varieties.

Misha coffee

Similar to Kopi Luwak, Misha coffee has a unique journey, as the beans get eaten and partially digested and excreted by Mishashos, a type of rodent. This emerging contender from Costa Rica, costs $500 to $1,000 per kilogram. This coffee has a bright, tropical fruit flavour of mango and guava.

Excelsa coffee

Excelsa coffee, which originates from Central Africa, is a rather less-known variety of coffee. It is also one of the world's rarest and expensive coffees. Though it was first discovered at Lake Chad in Central Africa, it is primarily grown in Southeast Asia, including Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. As the plant grows in dry areas, it has a very strong and earthy flavour. The prices range from $50–$200 per kilogram, and the premium single-origin blends go even higher.
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St. Helena’s coffee

St. Helena’s coffee is said to have won the hearts of Napoleon Bonaparte. The coffee plants are a pure lineage of Green Tipped Bourbon Arabica, which has not been crossed with any other varieties. It is a single-origin Arabica bean known for its well-balanced acidity and fruity notes, including black cherry, chocolate undertone, and subtle floral hints. The prices range from $500–$880 per kilogram.