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| How much are these beans worth? Photo: Erin Meister. |
Kobe beef, aged single-malt Scotch, a $1,000 pizza -- there's seemingly no limit on how much a foodie will spend on the ultimate taste experience.
So how about a nice, steaming hot cup of coffee ... for $10, or more?
Not unlike its more respected buddy made from fermented grapes, exceptional, rare and just plain wacky coffees have begun to fetch higher prices all over the world. Panama's now-famous farm Hacienda la Esmeralda, for instance, has been commanding record prices for its green beans, setting world records for auction sales in 2004 ($21/pound), 2006 ($50.25/pound) and 2007 (a whopping $130/pound).
But is it a matter of simply being impressed by the price tag, or is there something to these top-shelf beans? Read on to find out.
