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Permalink Reply by Oscar Nyman on September 5, 2010 at 1:38pm

I think It's VERY unfair to compare Esmeralda with Jamaican Blue Mountain or Kona.

Yes La Esmeralda is expensive but well worth the money; It gives you flavours that are hard to find elsewhere. I have cupped the 2009 and 2010 lots + bought and brewed it myself a couple of times. Haugaards roasts are probably similar to what Stumptown produces on this coffee, while Coffee Collective produce a lighter, very scandinavian roast.

I never waste any precious beans by trying to diall in the grinder for espresso, but brew it frenchpress or melitta porcelain. If you think it's too expensive buy one bag and share among many baristas? I think anyone in this industry should have tasted this coffee.

http://haugaardcoffee.blogspot.com/
http://www.coffeecollective.dk

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Permalink Reply by Kevin Ayers on September 5, 2010 at 10:06pm

No, it is shabby. Why? Because you have to drink that coffee within a week or so. You could let those bottles of wine sit and age for years, and open them as you please. Not a fair comparison.

Jared Rutledge said:

to follow up with john, 750ml is the standard wine size. to get 750ml of coffee you should use about 45g of beans. a 12 oz. bag is ~340g of coffee. 340/45=7.5. so for $85 you're getting 7.5 wine bottles of one of the best coffees in the world. not shabby.

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Permalink Reply by Joona Suominen on September 6, 2010 at 1:15am

Oscar Nyman said:

while Coffee Collective produce a lighter, very scandinavian roast.

Waving the scandinavian flag :)

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Permalink Reply by Jennifer Vaaler on September 6, 2010 at 11:12am

I had the opportunity to try this gem and thought it was completely worth it. I'd buy it again for sure, as a treat. The aroma and flavors are very overwhelming so it really depends on your palette. I purposely keep coffee on my priority list of things to buy or splurge on too.

I think any coffee lover should at least try the Esmeralda once.

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Permalink Reply by Joseph Robertson on September 6, 2010 at 11:44am

Ok, my one and only 2 cents on this question. I have tried it. It's a very nice treat. Worth the price? It is all relative to your palate and taste buds. Simply put, totally subjective. For me as a coffee business person, fun but not worth the price at this point in time for my business.

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Permalink Reply by Shellie Adams on September 16, 2010 at 8:39am

We brought in Esmeralda last year for the holiday season and I loved it so much that I ended up buying some for myself despite only having a Barista salary. It was hands-down the best coffee I have ever had. I loved the smoothness and the delicateness that I have never tasted with other coffees. I would not buy it for myself again this year because I enjoyed the experience from last year and I could not afford it. The coffee itself MAY not be worth the price but the experience totally is.

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Permalink Reply by Jason Haeger on September 27, 2010 at 1:21pm

John, I agree with you and love your logic. But it just isn't a fair analysis for the mass market who is used to thinking of coffee, yes.. even specialty coffee, as a commodity.

It's not wine. it is coffee. It cannot sit on the shelf to be opened at your leisure. It requires more respect than that to be enjoyed well.

It is not a commodity. While there is a market for every coffee, and while the bulk of the market views coffee as a commodity, it is not fair to those men and women who are responsible for such stellar quality coffees to be told that they cannot charge a premium price for their premium non-commodity products.

To say that it is "too expensive 'for coffee'" is to speak on relative rather than absolute terms.

Forget the "compared to other coffees" analogy. Take the cup. Taste it. How much are you willing to pay for what you just drank. For the cup, not for a bulk quantity of the roasted coffee.

I would guess that 9 times out of 10, people would be surprised at how much they are actually willing to pay when that price is translated into dollars per pound.

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