A $75 cup of coffee? San Francisco roaster offers pricey exclusive Panama blend


News from Panama / Monday, May 20th, 2019

Coffee beans rest in a bin as Tony Tausch, owner of Coffee Emporium, works in his coffee roasting space, Friday, Jan. 26, 2018, in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood of Cincinnati. Small business operators like Tausch have helped usher in a neighborhood renaissance through community engagement and entrepreneurship, developing once abandoned storefronts and attracting new residents in the struggling downtown area. (AP Photo/John Minchillo) The Associated Press file

A dime just doesn’t cut it when it comes to coffee these days, but how about a $75 cup of joe?

Klatch Coffee Roasters, with outlets in San Francisco and Southern California, served up the pricey cups of coffee made from Elida Natural Geisha beans purchased in Panama at a world record price of $803 per pound, according to its website.

Klatch Coffee Roasters held the first of several tastings for the $75-a-cup coffee Saturday, KGO reported.

“San Francisco is one of those places where people appreciate fine stuff,” said Bo Thiara, co-owner of the San Francisco location, according to the station.

Only 100 pounds of Elida Natural Geisha were sold at the Best of Panama competition, with most going to Japan, China and Taiwan, the site says. Klatch Coffee Roasters bought North America’s only allotment.

“It’s the Oscars for coffee,” Thiara said, KGO reported. The company bought 10 pounds to divide between its locations.

The roaster’s site describes Elida Natural Geisha as a “rare variety of Arabica coffee that came to Panama from a research lab in Costa Rica but has its origins in Ethiopia.”

The coffee has “floral, tea like and stone fruit flavors” with jasmine, bergamot, sugar cane, peach or apricot “flavor notes,” according to Klatch Coffee Roasters.

    Sign Up for our Newsletter:

    Your Name (required)

    Your Email (required)