PHOTO
A Christchurch cafe has started selling single cups of coffee for $100 after acquiring some rare “Geisha” beans from Panama.
The Rook Cafe on Hereford St bought the special beans from the renowned Mount Totumas estate.
Mount Totumas coffee is grown in Volcan, Chiriqui region, at an altitude of about 1850m.
It is produced from the Gesha variety, Milky Way lot. The beans are processed using the washed method, with extended fermentation. The blend has been reported to taste of daffodils, yellow plum jam, and honey.
The first customers — Maxwell and Tallon — split the cost of a cup on Monday, telling the NZ Herald it was “very exciting”.
“I mean, it’s just such a rare variety from like a very specific area, from a very specific farm, and you get the trustworthiness of Kyle [Cabangun], who’s just a fantastic barista, so it’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance really,” Maxwell told the Herald.
“From what I’ve smelled, it’s probably going to be something floral and really beautiful and nice.
“It’ll be really interesting to see what it comes out like, particularly with the brewing method that he’s chosen.”
He told the Herald it initially tasted quite “floral” but thought it would change as the temperature fell.
“But first thoughts: Really good. It’s fantastic so far,” Maxwell said.
The Rook Cafe had presold a number of cups, with only 14-15 estimated to be available on Monday.
Cabangun prepared the beans in a hand grinder to avoid losing any coffee. They compared the price tag to that of high-quality wine.
“Coffee, if anything, is harder to grow and produce than wine,″ Cabangun told the Herald.
“This cup of coffee is some of the highest-quality coffee you’ll probably ever try. Coffee is graded on a scale of 0-100, and this sits at 94-96 on that range.”
- Allied Media