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New York Post
6 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
This is the most expensive cup of coffee in NYC — but many think the price is a sick cup of Joe-k
You must be joe-king. The Big Apple's most expensive cup of coffee is being brewed by a UK company in the heart of Manhattan — but opinions are far from blended on whether the caffeine is worth the pricetag. WatchHouse is hawking its 8-oz cup of La Negrita pourover at a jaw-dropping $28, a figure they justify based on the years-long process it takes to get the beanwater in front of their coffee-obsessed customers. 7 The La Negrita coffee at WatchHouse costs $28, making it the most expensive in the Big Apple. Matthew McDermott Time Out New York called the coffee drink — which comes on a platter alongside a green tea palate cleanser — a '$28 investment poured in a glass vessel.' La Negrita is the priciest cup on the shop's Rarities pourover menu, which includes five others ranging from $14 to $28, and even briefly peddled a $58 limited edition option. At the time, the UK-based shop was hawking as many as 400 cups per month across its two Manhattan locations. At that price, a WatchHouse barista making $18.92 per hour would need to spend 90 minutes crafting La Negritas before they could afford their own — but the intensive labor it takes to make each cup is exactly what makes it close so much. 7 The La Negrita comes on a serving tray with a small green tea palate cleanser. Matthew McDermott 7 It could take as long as five years to grow the rare beans and turn them into beanwater. Matthew McDermott 'This takes quite a bit of equipment and a lot of labor, and also a strong understanding of science and what's happening during fermentation to get the profile that you want,' explained coffee lead Sachi Patel. The La Negrita drink is produced from the 'rare and so difficult to produce' Gesha bean, which takes up to five years before it can be plucked and shipped to a UK roastery. 'After the coffee is roasted, our senior coffee team in the UK will do quite a bit of recipe testing to find out the best water temperature and brewing method to brew the coffee at and then that will be communicated with all of head baristas at each location, who will make sure that the coffee is tasting the way we want it to,' said Patel, adding that the perfected beans are then finally fermented for 36 hours before being bottled for preservation. 7 Harrison Huang said the coffee and experience was well worth the $28 price. Katherine Donlevy/NY Post 7 WatchHouse offers six coffees from is Rarities menu, ranging in price from $14 to $28. Matthew McDermott The lengthy history is communicated to the customer during service, much like at a wine tasting — which could be an integral part of the price. The Post conducted a blind taste test with New Yorkers on the street in which they were asked to guess the price. Most loved the taste, but were appalled to learn the $28 price tag. 'That's pretty heinous,' Graham O'Donnell said, even though he admitted the coffee was delicious. 7 'At $28 I'm going to see my Bodega man, put some weight at the bottom. We'd just be chilling and then I'd buy another cup,' said Jared Hunter. Matthew McDermott Similarly, Jared Hunter gawked at the cost, saying, 'At $28, I'm going to see my Bodega man, put some weight at the bottom. We'd just be chilling and then I'd buy another cup.' Mohammad Ishmail estimates he hawks about 500 cups of $2 coffee at his breakfast cart just around the corner from WatchHouse's 5th Avenue location, describing his clientele as mostly construction and blue-collar workers. 'Coffee is coffee. That's what matters. At 5 o'clock in the morning, I have one and that's good for me,' said Ishmail, who has been running his truck since 2010. 7 The Post conducted a blind taste test with New Yorkers on the street in which they were asked to guess the cost of an 8 oz cup. Matthew McDermott WatchHouse's Rarities line certainly has a loyal cult following; however, with coffee lovers like Sarah Allmon, who emphasized the experience wasn't for the average Dunkin' enthusiast. 'This is their bread and butter. They're willing to go the extra mile to get a really good pour-over. I think if you're someone that's really chasing that specialty coffee or seeing what is the unique option out there, I think that the rarities would definitely pull your interest,' Allmon, 31, of the Upper East Side said, rating WatchHouse as one of the top 5 of the nearly 100 coffee shops she's ever visited in the Big Apple. Harrison Huang — who described himself as a 'really big coffee person' — agreed, telling The Post he stopped by WatchHouse as part of a self-conducted tour of several other high-end coffee shops during his trip to the Big Apple. 'For me, the most interesting part is to try different coffee beans and how the coffee shop is using their technique to kind of display — that's a fun way to look at it, too,' explained Harrison Huang, 31, of Los Angeles, who was sipping on a $14 Pepe Jijon, his second cup of the his trip to WatchHouse after trying a $23 Abu Lot. 'I'm not always looking at the coffee bean, but also the machine they're using and how they are approaching this plane … the whole environment is what I'm looking for.'
Forbes
22-05-2025
- Business
- Forbes
A Beginner's Guide To Central America's Acclaimed Coffee Regions
Latin American man sowing the land at a farm - agriculture concepts The volcanic topography and tropical climate of Central America make the narrow isthmus between North and South America well-suited for coffee growing. All seven countries in the region grow coffee, and several of them do so with astonishing, specialty-grade results. In fact, most of the countries here, including Costa Rica and Guatemala, host a Cup of Excellence, an annual competition that rigorously evaluates and scores the finest lots. The competition, which began 20 years ago, determines which coffees may ultimately gain acclaim, with the winners auctioned off online to global buyers. These factors have contributed to Central America's reputation for quality, a region now boasting some of the world's most expensive and sought-after coffees. The Barú volcano is the highest elevation in Panama and home to many coffee farms. Better known for the Panama Canal and its American retirement communities, Panama's small coffee industry enjoyed a meteoric rise over the last 15 years. Discovery of the Ethiopian Geisha (also referred to as Gesha) variety in Panama's Boquete, around Volcán Barú, the highest mountain in the country, led to the highest prices in the world paid at auction for this Cinderella coffee. Recently, a cup of Gesha from Elida Estate fetched $635 a cup at a cafe in Taiwan. Curiously, Geisha was discovered on the farm of Hacienda La Esmeralda not for its quality but for the utilitarian value of its resistance to leaf rust disease. The coffee world discovered Geisha's unique profile in 2004 when La Esmeralda submitted lots to the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama's 'Best of Panama' competition and won. Like planting Pinot Noir around the world to recreate the magic of Burgundy, Geisha, too, has spread, but no other terroir captures the tea-like delicacy, bright citrusy acidity, and whiff of jasmine produced by Boquete Gesha. View of a intensive coffee plantation agriculture in costa rican mountains. Coffee is a vital part of Costa Rican life. It's in the cultural bloodstream as well as a core component of the economy, comprising 3 percent of exports and ranking third in agricultural products. Coffee can be found growing in many locations throughout Costa Rica, thanks to the country's rich volcanic soil, high elevation, and mild temperatures. Although Costa Rica has eight distinct coffee-growing regions, Tarrazu, located nearly a mile above sea level, produces one-third of the country's coffee crop. Although Costa Rica has a long history of coffee production, its specialty grade is a new and exciting phenomenon, particularly due to the development of the honey process. Costa Rican coffees are complex with creamy sweetness, berry, apple, brown sugar, and honey notes with lively acidity. Caturra and Catuaí are the most common varieties, with Typica, Bourbon, and Geisha right behind. Verdant agricultural farmland in Guatemalan highlands, Central America. Guatemala has a long coffee-growing history, by some accounts dating back to the Jesuit presence in the 1750s. It took another 100 years before coffee became integral to the economy, when it replaced indigo as a cash crop. Today, Guatemala ranks second in volume production in Central America. However, in this context, the quantity of production does not compromise the quality, as the leading regions have earned a protected designation of origin (D.O.). Guatemalan coffees, at their best, can be complex, with floral, fruity, and even spicy notes; chocolate and caramel notes; and bright acidity. The Spanish colonial town of Antigua, amidst a volcanic landscape that receives robust rainfall, cultivates distinct coffees. Within this accredited area, the key coffee varieties, Bourbon, Caturra, and Catuaí, often exhibit a nutty character. Other regions that consumers may see on roasted coffee package labels are Fraijanes and Huehuetenango. Panoramic view of Volcano San Vicente and valley bellow near San Salvador El Salvador Central America, While El Salvador has been in the news for both its Bitcoin crypto play and prison system, the coffee industry deserves attention. The industry has played an important role in El Salvador's economy since the late 19th century. As James Hoffman writes in his book, 'The World Atlas of Coffee,' the crop has helped fund El Salvador's infrastructure and integrate its indigenous population into the market. In the early 20th century, coffee accounted for 90 percent of El Salvador's exports. A civil war in the 1980s and a decline in global prices of commodity coffee in the 1990s put immense pressure on the thousands of small farms and workers who depended on rising (or stable) prices for their welfare. The positive aspect is that higher-yielding, lower-quality varieties never replaced the heirloom Bourbon trees. Such a wealth of heirlooms makes El Salvador's coffees rich with complexity and a juicy and sweet cup profile. Coffee plantations in the highlands of western Honduras by the Santa Barbara National Park Scuba divers know Honduras for the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, the largest coral reef system in the Western Hemisphere, stretching off Roatán and the Bay Islands. But beyond its turquoise waters, Honduras is a powerhouse of coffee production, consistently ranking as one of Central America's largest coffee exporters. For the 2023–2024 season, Honduras produced approximately 5.18 million 60-kilogram bags, solidifying its status as a global heavyweight. Historically, the country produced beans for blends since much of its coffee wasn't distinct enough to market as single-origin. The backbone of the industry is 100,000 small farmers who weather the hurricanes (literally), coffee rust disease, and challenging transportation infrastructure to deliver beans for the world market. However, recent investments from specialty coffee companies, exporters, government agencies, and international development organizations like USAID and the World Bank have helped improve farmer education, infrastructure, and quality standards, dramatically boosting Honduras's specialty coffee profile. Honduran specialty-grade coffees are known for their full-bodied flavor that is moderately sweet with juicy acidity and tinged with apricot and chocolate. Bourbon, Caturra, Catuaí, and Typica varieties are commonly grown. Pantasma fair trade organization in Nicaragua. Catholic missionaries brought coffee to Nicaragua in 1790. Later, between 1840 and 1940, what became known as the 'Coffee Boom' saw coffee become integral to the economy as a commercial crop for export. Bordering Honduras to the south and Costa Rica to the north, Nicaragua shares aspects of both — mountainous terrain, defined dry and rainy seasons, the threat of hurricanes, and a challenging transportation network. The best Nicaraguan coffees, often based on Caturra or Bourbon, exhibit lovely balance with a medium body, clean acidity, and lifted notes of citrus or florals. These desirable traits contrast with the nuttier, heavier coffees found across Central America.
