The most expensive coffee

June 19, 2026 by

Nicola Schäppi

The most important raw material in coffee is the coffee cherry — more specifically: the seed inside, the bean. Expensive coffees come from microscopically small harvests, often only a few kilograms per year, from remote regions, processed with methods that border on laboratory techniques. Additionally, there is a mechanism that does not exist in any other food category: championships and auctions that drive prices to heights comparable to wine Grand Crus.

The most expensive coffee in the world changed hands at the Best-of-Panama auction in August 2025: A washed Gesha from Hacienda La Esmeralda, rated 98 out of 100 points — the highest score ever awarded at this auction. The 20-kilogram lot fetched $30,204 per kilogram, totaling over $600,000. For comparison: A year earlier, the top price was $10,013 per kilogram. Prices have tripled within twelve months.

However, these coffees are not meant for retail. They go to roasters in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, the USA — markets where specialty coffee holds a different status than in Switzerland. What does this mean for the Swiss restaurateur who wants to offer his guests something extraordinary?

The most expensive coffee in Switzerland

"The most difficult coffee I have ever roasted — and the most intense I have ever tasted."

Nicola Schäppi, Vice Swiss Champion in Pouring 2023 and founder of Coffee Space GmbH, talks about his Wush Wush. 40 grams cost 120 francs. That amounts to 3,000 francs per kilo — and even that is only half of what the roaster paid for the green raw material, as roasting Nano Lots of this quality results in a weight loss of 15 to 20 percent.

The Wush Wush is a Nano Lot from Colombia. Of the originally five kilograms harvested by the producer, only 40 grams are available. It is roasted in 80-gram batches, made to order. "We reserve this coffee for championships", says Schäppi. "That’s why we don’t disclose either the producers or the exact origin — we want to be able to buy the next lots without someone getting ahead of us."

The flavors: raspberry, blackberry, dark chocolate, grape. No subtle hints, but dominant, unmistakable notes. "After two weeks of resting, the berry side becomes even more pronounced", explains Schäppi. "This is not a coffee for everyday use. This is a coffee for the moment that you remember years later."

Coffee Space also offers a second rarity in its selection: a Gesha from Colombia for 80 francs per 40 grams (2,000 francs per kilo). "The most overwhelming Gesha I have ever tasted", says Schäppi. Peach, saffron, bourbon vanilla, bergamot — four layers of flavor that arrive one after the other, "like a tasting menu in a cup".

Why championship coffee gets more expensive every year

The price increase for top coffee follows its own logic. It starts with the competitions.

"At the Best of Panama or the Cup of Excellence, coffees are rated by international judges on a 100-point scale", explains Schäppi, who tastes according to SCA standards. "A score above 90 points is outstanding. Above 95 is historic. The 98 points from La Esmeralda 2025 are a new territory."

These scores generate prestige — and prestige generates auction demand. At the Panama Cup of Excellence 2025, 28 out of 40 Gesha lots reached prices over $1,000 per kilogram. Ten lots broke the $1,000-per-pound mark ($2,200 per kilo). The total volume of the auction was several million dollars — for a total of less than 500 kilograms of coffee.

The mechanism reinforces itself: The higher the previous year's prices, the more producers invest in experimental fermentations, rare varieties, and microscopic parcels. The results improve, the scores rise, and the auction prices follow. "It is an upward spiral", says Schäppi. "And it has only just begun."

Additionally: Gesha — the variety that has dominated the coffee world in Panama since its rediscovery in 2004 — is agronomically demanding. It bears little fruit, requires specific altitudes, and is prone to disease. "Gesha is the Pinot Noir of coffee", compares Schäppi. "Difficult to grow, low yields, but when everything is right, something is created that is incomparable to anything else."

What does that mean for gastronomy?

For hotels and restaurants that want to offer their guests something special, coffees in this price range are not a daily driver — but a statement. A Wush Wush or a 98-point Gesha on the menu signals: This establishment understands coffee at the level it understands wine.

“A guest who pays 300 francs for a bottle of Barolo immediately understands why a coffee costs 120 francs for 40 grams.”, says Schäppi. “Both products follow the same logic: terroir, craftsmanship, rarity, evaluation by experts. The difference is that coffee has only been telling this story for twenty years. Wine has been telling it for centuries.”

Coffee Space offers its rarities not only in the online shop but also as a white-label partner for the gastronomy sector: hotels can offer an exclusive coffee under their own name — from sourcing to roasting to packaging design, everything from a single source.

Exciting interview with Hacienda La Esmeralda:

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