Why a Panama Geisha Cup Costs 2,888 Yuan

A cafe in Wenling, Zhejiang has drawn attention for a pour-over priced at 2,888 yuan, with a listed original price of 3,888 yuan. The owner says the beans are BOP auction lots, including a 2021 Panama Geisha that reached 2,568 USD per pound at auction, and pricing follows international competition results rather than being set at random.

The shop also serves options from 18 to 188 yuan, with average spending near 47 yuan per person. The 3,888 yuan cup needs a booking ten days ahead. Such lots rank among the most expensive coffee beans sold, reflecting auction demand rather than everyday cafe pricing, and the story has fueled debate over how specialty coffee is valued.

How much can a cup of pour-over coffee sell for? Recently, a coffee shop in Wenling, Zhejiang, sparked heated discussion because of a 2888 yuan pour-over price on its menu, with the original price even listed as 3888 yuan. Netizens joked one after another, asking whether the decimal point had been forgotten. The owner responded that the high-priced beans are all BOP auction lots, and the pricing is based on international competition auction prices, not set arbitrarily. One of them, a 2021 Panama Geisha, once set a record at 2568 USD per pound, and now a single cup sells for 3888 yuan and requires booking 10 days in advance. Aside from top auction beans, the shop also has affordable options from 18 to 188 yuan, with an average spend of about 47 yuan per person. Front Street Coffee takes you behind the story of this cup of coffee that "workers don't deserve to drink."

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How much do you usually spend on a cup of coffee? 8.8 yuan? 9.9 yuan? 18? 28.8 yuan? 58.8 yuan? Or more?

Recently, a netizen posted on social media with the title "A coffee shop in a fourth-tier city." The poster shared the price list of a cafe at the entrance of their residential community and said: although all kinds of luxury cars are often parked at the community entrance, seeing this price list was still a shock. From the image, a cup of pour-over coffee at this shop is priced at 2888 yuan, and above it is also written an original price of 3888 yuan!

It is reported that this cafe is located in Wenling City, Zhejiang Province. Qichacha information shows that the shop was established on May 20, 2022, with registered capital of 500,000 RMB. By February this year, the owner had opened another branch in Taizhou City, Zhejiang.

As soon as the "sky-high coffee" post appeared, it immediately attracted discussion from many netizens:

"Wow, even the coffee on the Left Bank of the Seine isn't this expensive."

"Is it Japanese yen..." No, it's RMB!

"Seeing the IP is Zhejiang makes it understandable again."

"Enough for me to book a flight to Panama and drink a 10-dollar Geisha."

"Is this the price for one cup? If it were a monthly package, I could accept it."

"Did the owner forget to mark the decimal point?"

"Even if it were Japanese yen, I'd still think it's super expensive."

……

Of course, people with this kind of spending power naturally won't find it expensive... This kind of "sky-high price" coffee shop seems to be the same idea as those tea shops that appear to have no business at all yet never close!

But can a cup of coffee really sell for that much? According to a Qianjiang Evening News report, the owner said: the menu circulating online is authentic, but the beans used in the higher-priced pour-over series are all BOP auction beans, and the pricing is not set arbitrarily by an individual, but based on the bidding prices at the BOP competition, a top global green coffee bean competition.

Knowledge supplement: the BOP event (Best Of Panama), also known as "Best of Panama," is organized by the Specialty Coffee Association of Panama (SCAP) and is one of the world's most famous green coffee bean competitions. Past BOP results, winning estates, and auction prices can all be checked on the official BOP website.

Every year there are countless specialty coffee competitions around the world, and the purpose of these competitions is only one—to select the highest-quality coffee beans from numerous samples.

In the menu image posted by the netizen, the beans used for the 2888 yuan pour-over are even more remarkable. They are the champion beans of the 2022 BOP competition, with a competition score of 96.5! You should know that BOP auction beans scoring above 90 are extremely rare and require special climate and geographical conditions to cultivate. Compared with ordinary coffee beans, they have a more pleasant flavor, finer and softer fruit acidity, fascinating floral aromas, and a long-lasting sweetness...

It is worth mentioning that the most expensive single-origin bean at the shop is currently the 2021 "Panama Geisha." It is understood that at the time, this bean broke previous competition records with a price of 2568 USD per pound. At present, this coffee bean sells for 3888 yuan per cup in the shop. Not only is it expensive, but it also requires a 10-day advance reservation to get a taste!

When the owner was asked by the media whether consumers really come to taste these high-priced pour-over coffees, the owner replied: "For pour-over coffee made from auction beans, there is a certain customer group that comes to the shop to consume it."

In addition, the owner also said that the shop does not only have pour-over coffee made from auction beans, but also many affordable coffees or drinks, priced between 18 and 188 yuan. From review websites, the shop's average spend is 47 yuan per person.

It was also learned from the shop's social account that the owner's original intention in opening this shop was to share the charm of top specialty coffee with more people through her own research on coffee. It is understood that during preparation she also introduces to customers the flavors and mouthfeel layers of different types and origins of coffee. She hopes that more people can gain coffee knowledge while drinking coffee.

Alright, after reading this, I just want to quietly ask: would you spend 3888 yuan to drink such an exquisite cup of coffee? 😂

ps: Anyway, after confirming with a look, it's confirmed! This is coffee that I, a worker, don't deserve to drink 😭

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.