The highest-rated coffee in the world will soon be available in the Dubai, complete with a sky-high price tag.
Julith Coffee & Roastery, which opened its doors in Dubai last week, has paid more than Dh2 million at auction in Panama to secure an exceptionally rare variety.
It placed the winning bid at the prestigious Best of Panama competition, claiming a 20kg lot for Dh2,218,785 ($604,080) − the highest price ever paid for auction coffee anywhere in the world. That works out at Dh110,938 ($30,204) per kg, shattering previous records and setting a new benchmark for rarity, quality and value.
The beans, a Washed Geisha variety from a high-altitude family farm in Panama, will be roasted in “extremely limited quantities” at Julith’s new roastery brew lounge in Al Quoz. Tasting sessions are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.
Julith is a new two-floor concept headed up by Turkish coffee roasting champion Serkan Sagsoz, who has described the rare record-breaking coffee as “the absolute pinnacle of flavour, craftsmanship and terroir”.
Grown in the mountains of Chiriqui, the coffee achieved an unprecedented 98/100 score in the annual competition, making it Panama’s highest-scoring Washed Geisha. Harvested in April, the beans underwent a meticulous 48-hour cold-temperature fermentation followed by climate-controlled drying to preserve the flavour.
In all, 549 bids were placed for the lot. When the final hammer fell, Julith came out on top, to back up its ambition to bring the world’s rarest coffees to Dubai.
“We can’t wait to share this once-in-a-lifetime coffee with those who truly value the artistry behind every cup,” Sagsoz added.
Organised annually by the Specialty Coffee Association, the Best of Panama competition gathers the world’s finest coffee growers. The top-scoring varieties, evaluated by an international jury, are then auctioned to an elite circle of buyers.
Panama introduced the Geisha variety for the first time at the 2004 Best of Panama competition. Since then, it has established itself as the most recognised and expensive coffee in the world.
