A new ceiling for coffee prices has been set: It’s $18. The Extraction Lab in Brooklyn is now selling the most expensive cup of coffee in the U.S. Of course it seems fitting that New York City, where rents are sky high and $16 cocktails don’t raise an eyebrow, should be home to the priciest coffee in the land, but many people are still having trouble wrapping their minds around the shocking sticker price.
It’s not all hipster nonsense though; a lot of work goes into brewing this spectacular cup of joe. The $13,900 Steampunk machines required to brew the coffee are navigated by engineers who also serve as baristas. The coffee itself is made with gesha beans, which are prized for their complex flavor, but can only thrive when grown in high altitude environments, so they’re very difficult to cultivate. The result is a balanced, aromatic, jaw-droppingly pricey way to get your caffeine fix.
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