A food expert has tried one of the world’s rarest coffees and delivered a damning verdict.
Paying £265 for a shot of espresso in Mayfair, London at a luxury coffee bar may sound ludicrous but expert James Hoffmann says there are certain cups of coffee which deserve the valuation. In this case, the scarcity of the beans hikes the price and leaves coffee enthusiasts paying well over the average cost they might expect to fork out for more mainstream drinks.
Hoffmann says what he buys is “experiential,” and that the taste and act of drinking the coffee is all part of the price.
Stirring the coffee with a small gold spoon before tasting the pricey shot, Hoffmann explained in the description of his TikTok video that there were three factors to consider.
One is the scarcity of the coffee, revealing there is “only a very tiny quantity of this particular coffee produced,” while competition on the industry price and how the coffee is prepared must also be factored in.
He explained: “This particular coffee comes from a small estate in Japan where the beans are processed naturally, therefore making it scarce enough to raise its price considerably when exporting it to the UK. This is on top of the cost of production, which is higher in Japan than in typical coffee producing areas.”
Hoffmann’s verdict on the coffee revealed he was not anticipating certain flavours to come through. “Way, way more acidity than I was anticipating, in a good way.” he said.
“It’s a well-brewed shot, barista did well. Really nice barista in there. A little dry on the finish. Decent body to it, actually. Nice texture. As it cools there’s a touch of woodiness in there maybe. Like, you can sort of detect a little bit of that low altitude, but I don’t think it has the sort of origin characteristics, particularly unusual or wild or distinct to it.
“It tastes like ripe coffee from reasonable altitude, processed well, roasted well. But its taste and its price I don’t think are particularly connected. Is it £265 tasty? Can anything be £265 tasty?”
As Hoffmann previously noted the price for the coffee included the experience and process in getting it, but it seemed it was too rich a purchase for many. Some were baffled by why the coffee was so expensive though one comment cleared up the confusion.
One user revealed: “I’m betting that it’s because Japan isn’t a traditional coffee growing region so it’s difficult to cultivate. Scarcity + unique origin + lux place fleecing the rich.”
Another user added: ” I went on a coffee making and tasting course, had great coffees, learned a lot, got to make our own coffee too, it cost 10% of the price of that coffee.”
