A café in central Christchurch is selling coffee for $100 a cup, nearly 20 times the average price of a coffee in New Zealand.
Rook Café will start selling the rare brew from 21 September. It comes from a coffee farm called Mt Totumas in Panama, and was roasted in Perth, Australia.
Barista and co-owner Kyle Cabangun said the café wanted to offer something special. “We had an idea of selling his $100 coffee, and we basically asked him, ‘Can you please find us something that would allow us to charge this amount?'” he said.
Coffee experts score coffee out of 100 based on its quality. This coffee scored 96.2, making it one of the best in the world.
Cabangun described its flavour as floral and clean, with a “nice acidity.” He said people who don’t usually drink expensive coffee might just find it tastes like fruity coffee.
The coffee was bought at a special auction in Panama, where some of the world’s most expensive coffee is sold.
Rook Café, which opened in November last year, only has enough of the rare coffee for 14 to 15 cups. Cabangun isn’t too worried about selling it all, since coffee can be frozen to keep its value.
The average price for a café coffee in New Zealand is about $5.20, according to Stats NZ — so most Kiwis will probably just stick to their usual flat white.
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