Would you pay $100 for a pound of coffee? Most of us think of Starbucks as gourmet coffee and balk at paying $4 for a cup but that is a bargain compared to some of the specialty coffees coveted world wide.

In fact, some of it is also way beyond strange. Take Kopi Luwak from Indonesia. Weighing in at around $160 per pound, not only has it been hand picked for you off of the jungle floor, it has also been eaten and excreted by an animal called the common palm civet (think cross between a cat and a raccoon. In fact they are also known as toddy cats). No thanks, I’ll skip this one--eating and excreting are my job.

Here is how gourmet or specialty coffee is defined by the SCAA (Specialty Coffee Association of America): “Specialty coffee is defined as a coffee that has no defects and has a distinctive flavor in the cup…Like wine and honey, specialty coffee has a unique flavor thanks to the micro-climates that produce it.” The SCAA also estimates the specialty coffee market at 12 billion per year.

According to Forbes.com, here are the top ten most expensive specialty coffees:

Coffee: Kopi Luwak
Grown in: Indonesia
Cost: $160 per pound

Coffee: Hacienda La Esmeralda
Grown in: Boquete, Panama
Cost: $104 per pound

Coffee: Island of St. Helena Coffee Company
Grown in: St. Helena
Cost: $79 per pound

Coffee: El Injerto
Grown in: Huehuetenango, Guatemala
Cost: $25 per pound green at auction
Expected to retail for more than $50 per pound

Coffee: Fazenda Santa Ines
Grown in: Minas Gerais, Brazil
Cost: $50 per pound green at auction

Coffee: Blue Mountain
Grown in: Wallenford Estate, Jamaica
Cost: $49 per pound

Coffee: Los Planes
Grown in: Citala, El Salvador
Cost: $30 per 12 ounces ($40 per pound)

Coffee: Kona
Grown in: Hawaii
Cost: $30 per 14 ounces (about $34 per pound)

Coffee: Yauco Selecto AA
Grown in: Puerto Rico
Cost: $22 per pound

Coffee: Fazenda Sao Benedito
Grown in: Minas Gerias, Brazil
Cost: $21 per pound

Links:

Most Expensive Coffee
Forbes.com
http://www.forbes.com/2007/04/26/cellphone-blackberry-vacation-tech-intel-cx_df_0426wirelessvacation_slide_4.html?thisSpeed=15000

What’s Special about Specialty Coffee?
Specialty Coffee Association of America
http://www.forbes.com/2007/04/26/cellphone-blackberry-vacation-tech-intel-cx_df_0426wirelessvacation_slide_10.html?thisSpeed=15000