(1)(1).png){kind=logo}
At first, it can sound absurd that people are paying anywhere from $10-$20 for a cup of coffee. How do you justify this crazy price for something you can buy for a fraction of the cost at any gas station across the country?
Well, there’s a lot of factors that come into play when you start talking about coffee at this price point - things that most coffee drinkers don’t normally think about. A majority of people aren’t even thinking about the country of origin of their beans - let alone variety, altitude, processing, or down to the names of farms and producers they came from. All of these factors make a huge difference when it comes to the price of specialty coffees, where sometimes a cafe is charging upwards of $15 for a cup.
Today, I want to discuss more about a very special coffee we’ve put on our pour over menu, and why we charge what we do. That coffee is the Sebastian Ramirez White Honey Gesha by Onyx - and we’re charging $13 for a 12 oz cup. For the sake of transparency and insight into the specialty coffee world, we’d like to provide some more information as to what makes this cup so expensive.
When talking about specialty coffee, you will find many different varieties of coffee - literally different subspecies of the coffee plant that have been cultivated over the years for different reasons. Some have been specially bred for high yield, some for disease resistance, and most importantly for this discussion today, some are specifically bred for flavor. There are lots of different varieties of coffee, and we’ll surely be discussing this in a future blog post.
Gesha (or Geisha) is one of these varieties. It is one that is definitely bred for flavor in lieu of any other benefits. The yields on gesha plants are extremely low - the plants themselves need a lot more space than other varieties, and on top of that, they produce fewer beans than most other varieties as well. They are also optimally grown at a high altitude and fairly susceptible to disease. All of these factors make it a very finicky plant, with a very small yield, compared to many other varieties.
So why is anyone going through the trouble of growing this variety? If there’s one thing that coffee nerds care about, it’s the flavor. That’s exactly what is being delivered with this coffee - a unique experience that you definitely won’t find with your everyday coffee, or even most specialty coffees.
Geshas are competition level coffees, they are some of the highest rated coffees across the board. Undoubtedly, part of the price comes from the hype and mythos around the variety. But it certainly isn’t unwarranted - the hype is there for a reason. It makes a truly great cup of coffee.
Your normal, everyday cup of coffee has a very distinct flavor profile - cocoa, roasty, and caramely notes. What you get with a gesha is much different: jasmine, citrus, and tropical fruit is what you’ll be tasting. These light, delicate flavors are incredibly complex and interesting, especially when compared with how most people think about coffee’s flavor.
You’ll find gesha to be a much different experience than most coffee. It’s almost closer to tea than coffee. It’s certainly not a coffee you’ll want to sip on every morning, but every once in a while, it’s a real good treat.
As we’ve discussed gesha and why it’s so interesting, we’ve listed most of the reasons it’s so expensive. But, we’ll sum it all up here:
At Bloom, aim to offer unique experiences that you aren’t going to find at any other coffee shops. Part of this is sourcing interesting and flavorful pour overs that simply aren’t available outside of a specialty coffee lover’s home. Our rotating pourover menu is curated for everyone to find something they enjoy - and to branch out to find something interesting, if desired.
When you’re paying $13 for a cup of coffee, the coffee better be good. But beyond that, we aim to ensure you have a great experience with it, as well. At our pourover bar, you can watch every step of the process, ask any questions you can think of, read more about the coffee, and be guided through the tasting process. With such a pricey cup, it’s about the experience.
If you feel so inclined to experience such an interesting coffee, from a great roaster and producer, we currently have the Onyx Sebastian Ramirez White Honey Gesha on our pourover offerings.
If not, we’ll undoubtedly have something to pique your interest. We hope to see you soon!
