The most expensive and rarest kind of coffee in the world is from elephant waste. Yes, that’s correct, this fancy coffee goes from beans to elephant waste to inside your cup. Don’t worry, it’s completely safe to drink.
Not many people will be drinking the coffee because of the price, no matter how famous it is. Black ivory coffee is the most expensive kind of coffee. A pound of these coffee grounds goes for $500. A 6-count k-cup container of black ivory coffee, coming from the Black Ivory Coffee brand, is $55. That’s around $9 per cup!
Black Ivory coffee is made from arabica cherries grown in Thailand. Only the best cherries are handpicked and then hand-fed to Thai elephants. These cherries are grown at altitudes of 1500 meters. Then, after a day, the elephant caretakers will go out and recollect the beans that get passed by elephants. The coffee that is made from these beans are widely known for their interesting chocolate-like taste.
But Why?
That’s a reasonable question to ask. It is said that having these coffee beans go through the elephant’s digestive tracks allows for the coffee protein to break down and release its known flavor.
Because of this taste and how this product is branded, black ivory coffee has turned into a luxury coffee. It can be found at only the highest scales of restaurants and the fanciest hotels.
What Does Black Ivory Coffee Taste Like?
The taste of black ivory coffee is quite complex, especially after it has been processed. In fact, the processing of the arabica beans allows this coffee to not have the bitter aftertaste that deters so many people away from the dark drink.
The main flavor that people notice in this coffee is its chocolate taste. The chocolate flavor comes straight from the bean and is enhanced by not having the bitter aftertaste present. Because this bean is also a cherry, some note that there is a hint of cherry in the coffee’s flavor.
Some may say that this coffee has a flavor that’s a mix of coffee and tea. There are hints of other spices in the flavor which helps contribute to the complex flavor profile that this drink has.
This drink’s aroma is a mixture of sweet, floral, and chocolatey. The coffee is great for anyone who has a sweet tooth but doesn’t want a lot of sugar in their drink.
Why Is Black Ivory Coffee So Expensive?
With the slightly strange harvesting and processing methods, there are a few reasons why the black ivory coffee beans are so expensive.
One of the problems comes from the growing location of the arabica beans. These cherries are grown only in Thailand at elevations of 1500 meters. Having the growing location be so specific means that only so many cherries can be grown in a year, already limiting the supply before the beans are processed.
Also, only the nicest cherries are harvested. This is a luxury product, after all. Cherries that are low quality in either their look or texture don’t get used. This also limits the amount of product that can be made.
The elephants also bring their own set of issues. These elephants eat a lot of these cherries/beans. It takes elephants 36 pounds of beans to create just 1 pound of processed black ivory coffee beans.
Many cherries don’t make it through the process. Only whole and good-looking beans get harvested from elephant waste. Not many beans make it out whole because elephants do chew their food. Many of the cherries end up getting crushed up and become unusable.
That’s even less of the limited amount of cherries that make it through the whole process. By the time a cherry makes it through the whole process, there’s such a small amount that can be sold. This makes the supply very low while the demand that comes with luxury items remains high.
A final reason that the price of this coffee is so high is from all the labor that goes into the process. Humans are very involved in this process. They handpick the cherries, hand-feed the elephants, hand-pick out the cherries from the elephant waste, and are prepared for consumption by humans.
High school students are paid to wash, dry, and sort the cherries after they go through the elephants. Processing sorters go through the dried beans for a final time before being roasted and shipped out.
All these factors combined are the reason why this coffee is super expensive.
Where to Get Black Ivory Coffee?
The best place to purchase this coffee is from the Black Ivory Coffee company. This is where to get the coffee right from the source.
Buying through Black Ivory Coffee, while expensive, is the best way to ensure you get the high and true quality of the coffee.
Some luxury restaurants and coffee shops also sell black ivory coffee. This is not a drink that you will be able to find at your local Starbucks. If you ever find yourself in a top-rated hotel or restaurant, you may see the option of black ivory coffee on the menu.
Even though it is better to buy this coffee from the Black Ivory Coffee website, you are also able to find this coffee on Amazon. This is not the preferred option though as it is a lot more expensive. Again, the price from the website is $55. On Amazon, this coffee will easily cost more than $100. At that point, just get it from the source.
Trying to find this coffee cheaper is not an option. There aren’t a lot of places out there that will sell this coffee for anything less. The brand has a tight hold on this coffee.
At least the website has some other cool products to buy along with your coffee. It is nice to have options for a bag of coffee and single-serving cups. You can even buy a fancy glass for your coffee.
Final Thoughts
While the idea of this kind of coffee may seem weird, the taste and quality leave many rice people looking for more. If black ivory coffee wasn’t so expensive, it would be the go-to drink for those who want to drink coffee without the bitter aftertaste.
If you want to spend $55 on coffee, simply head over to the Black Ivory Coffee website and order some. Though, this is a week’s worth of coffee from Starbucks for some adamant coffee drinkers.
This coffee is so expensive due to the intensive process that is required. The whole process is either done by hand or by elephant. The small number of arabica cherries/beans that are available and the smaller amount left after going through the elephants contribute to this high price.
Black ivory coffee drink tastes strongly of chocolate with a hint of cherry. If you have the money and love coffees that taste like chocolate, it may be worth it to give this a try.
