Hi °C | Lo °C DUBLIN'S most expensive cup of coffee went on sale today for the princely sum of €30.
But rather than facing claims they are ripping off customers, the city cafe is boasting that it has Ireland's most expensive cup of coffee -- made from the most expensive beans in the world.
The brew went on sale today at what may be the smallest cafe outlet in the capital -- the 37sqft Coffee Kiosk opposite the Ballsbridge Hotel on Pembroke Road, Dublin 4.
This is Kopi Luwak coffee, which is harvested from coffee beans partly digested by wild civet cats in Indonesia, and then picked from their droppings, and cleansed for roasting.
A cup of this unusually produced coffee can sell for as much as £50 in London, although it is cheaper in New York, at upwards of $30 for a small cup.
Barista Brian Kenny, who formerly roasted Bewleys' coffee beans, plans to sell a 6.5oz cup of the coffee for between €25 and €30.
Prices at the Coffee Kiosk are usually among the cheapest in Dublin, at €2.50 for a latte in the standard 12oz paper cup, €2 for an Americano, and €1.50 for an espresso.
Asked to justify the price, Mr Kenny said: "First off, it is the rarity of the beans.
"Most importantly," he added, "it is the taste. The cat eats the coffee cherry and the enzymes in its stomach strip the cherry from the bean, and these enzymes go inside the bean and they flavour it. Then when you roast it, it becomes the champagne of coffee.
"It's the rarest, most expensive coffee in the world."
Mr Kenny roasted the beans himself on Tuesday on his mini-roaster in the kiosk.
The beans themselves will be on sale in the Kiosk at €80 for a 227 gram bag.
Yet the coffee will not be available for long. The beans are "horrendously expensive," he said.
Scientist Massimo Marcone of the University of Guelph, who has researched the unusual properties of the coffee, has described the flavour as "earthy, musty, syrupy, smooth and rich, with jungle and chocolate undertones".
The Coffee Kiosk is open every day Monday to Friday from 7am to 5pm, and at the weekends when there is a big match.
He will be open this Saturday and plans to be open for every Saturday in September, depending on how business goes.
Syndicate
Like the former Jury's hotel across the road, which was bought by Sean Dunne, taken over by a syndicate of banks and is now managed by the Dalata Hotel Group, the kiosk has changed hands a few times.
During the boom, in 1999, the kiosk sold for £250,000 and was described as the most expensive piece of real estate for its size in Dublin.
hnews@herald.ie
