This Cafe Offers A $635 Cup Of Panama Gesha Coffee – CoffeeTalk

In Taipei, Taiwan, Simple Kaffa is a popular cafe that offers luxury coffee to customers who only drink it. The founder, Berg Wu, earned the title of World Barista Champion in 2016, making him the first Taiwanese ever to do so. The cafe features two stories and a reservation list, evokes the post-pandemic paradigm of a seated tasting appointment at a winery.

The real thrill comes after flipping to the back page to find a section called “The Coffee One,” which lists a Best of Panama coffee from Elida Estate in Boquete. The price for a single cup of Elida Estate Best of Panama 2024 Gesha coffee was $635. This price tracking is surprising, as other shops in Korea and China have sold the same cup for $350 and $900, respectively.

Wu developed a passion for coffee during his courtship with Chee Lu, his wife, and eventually entered competitions and turned a curiosity into a lifelong career. He fixates on specialty coffee for its complexity and flavor profiles. His coffee company has three concepts, all based in Taipei, Taiwan. At Wu’s flagship store and Taipei 101 location, he focuses on specialty coffee experiences that suit a wider audience. However, his third concept, “The Coffee One,” functions as a separate tasting bar. It’s here that consumers can find the Best of Panama coffees.

Coffees for The Coffee One program typically come from auctions that sell beans from the top farms and growers. During the competitive Cup of Excellence (COE) and Best of Panama (BOP) auctions, Wu and others often pay eye-watering prices for a kilogram of beans. After receiving his auction lot, Wu stores the green beans in small batches. Because coffee starts to oxidize and degrade after roasting, Wu only roasts in small quantities of 100 grams on a ROEST (a sample roaster for working with smaller quantities of beans) at a time.

Wu has long been a fan of Elida Estate coffees. For the Best of Panama cup he sells at his shop, he offers both a natural and a washed coffee. The complexity of these coffees is so high, praising the management of the farm as critical in producing such singular coffees.

Wu debuted the coffee in Taipei in October 2024, selling about two to four cups per week. Sales have since slowed to about one cup per week. Customers are buying this coffee because they only drink luxury coffees, and some splurge because they just want to taste this famous coffee. The price of rare coffee remains a topic of debate, but for Wu, it’s straightforward: As long as people are willing to pay, there will be a market.

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