Bold Beans: Extraordinary Coffee to Wake Up Your Morning Routine

Courtesy of Black Ivory Coffee

The coffee cognoscente turns their nose up at “mall coffee,” seeking instead to identify and enjoy the ultimate brew. We accepted the challenge to collect a sampling of the most unusual javas.

Thank a Civet

Volcanica Coffee Free-Range Kopi Luwak

Courtesy of Volcanica Coffee

This coffee delivers a complex flavor and lingering aftertaste, thanks to Asian palm civets, which roam Indonesian coffee plantations eating and excreting coffee cherries that they’re unable to fully digest. The partially fermented cherries are collected from the ground, and the beans are separated, washed, dried, and roasted. To prevent animal abuse, these beans are sourced only from uncaged civets.

MSRP: $399.99 for 16 ounces

The Ultimate Hand-Picked Beans

Black Ivory Coffee

Courtesy of Black Ivory Coffee

After a small herd of elephants in Thailand enjoy a meal of Thai Arabica coffee cherries and fruit, the undigested cherries are extracted from their dung, and the beans are washed and prepared. This rare coffee, mostly sold to five-star hotels, is said to have a delicate yet earthy flavor.

$120 for a single 1.23-ounce pack (makes four espresso-sized cups)

The First Coffee of Colombia

Ospina Coffee Dynasty, Gran CAFE, Grand Cru Classé, Premier Grand Cru

Courtesy of Ospina Coffee

Colombia’s first coffee plantation was established in 1835 by Don Mariano Ospina, who later also served as the country’s president. Five generations and another president later, the plantation produces flavorful Arabica beans, grown in volcanic soil at altitudes between 7,700 feet and 7,900 feet, delivering an orchestra of flavors including chocolate, orange, and jasmine.

$790 for 8.8 ounces

Volcanic Eruptions of Flavor

Vienna Coffee Co. Guatemala Geisha Coffee

Courtesy of Vienna Coffee Co.

Using a varietal of beans developed in Ethiopia’s Gori Gesha region, this coffee offers floral, peach-like notes. Grown in the rich soil on the slopes of Guatemala’s Volcán Atitlán, these beans command a high price, as they require a very extensive cultivation process.

$46 for 12 ounces

An Old-School Approach

Lifeboost Coffee Ethiopian Yirgacheffe Limited

Courtesy of Lifeboost Coffee

A traditional, natural processing method gives this coffee its distinctive flavor. Most growers separate the coffee cherries from the beans prior to drying, but in this case, the cherries are left intact with the beans to ferment during the drying process. The beans absorb sweet, fruity flavors from the pulp and skin before they’re removed.

$50 for 10 ounces

Capturing the 5th Taste

Passenger Coffee Montecarlos Pacamara

Courtesy of Passenger Coffee

In addition to the four basic tastes—sweet, salty, sour, and bitter—there’s a fifth: umami, a rich, deeply savory taste. The Montecarlos plantation in El Salvador was the first in the world to cultivate pacamara beans, known for their relatively large size and umami flavor.

$31.20 for 10 ounces