Prized Panamanian coffee Hacienda la Esmeralda was roasted yesterday at Intelligentsia’s Glassell Park facility and will be available for purchase beginning today, September 10. Cups are available for $7 on the Clover. Half-pound bags of beans are selling for $30. According to Intelligentsia barista Devin Pedde, “It’s a small price to pay for one of the best cups of coffee in the world.”

Last year, Esmeralda cost $22 at Intelligentsia and was brewed in larger volume using the Chemex. Why the lower price this year? Last year Esmeralda was sold in the Best of Panama auction and went for a record $130 per pound. This year, the Peterson family held their own lot auction. The farm sent out samples so that Intelligentsia and other prospective bidders got to taste each lot before the auction. The auction was held about two months ago. Lots sold for $30-100+ per pound.

Here are this year’s tasting notes from Intelligentsia green coffee buyer Geoff Watts: “Fragrant floral notes greet the nose before the first sip, which yields remarkable clarity of flavor and intricacy of mouth feel. This year’s coffee is a deluge of sweet ripe tangerine and melon flavors, complimented by unsubtle sweetness likened to that of honeysuckle, jasmine, and the distinct hint of the coffee flower itself.”

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3. Intelligentsia - Los Angeles, CA - September 18, 2007
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1. mattatouille, September 10, 2008:

   very nice! I must try it when I go next time. $7 a cup…could be my most expensive cup ever (at least one that I’ve paid for…)

This entry is filed under LA Culinary Compass, Menu Changes, News.