In the Land of the Coffee Nerds ⇥ newyorker.com

Matt Buchanan, The New Yorker:

I was finally tasting Esmeralda Especial, a highly renowned coffee from Panama’s Hacienda la Esmeralda, which holds the distinction of the highest price ever paid for coffee at auction — in 2010, the auction price of the highest-grade lot reached a hundred seventy dollars per pound. It is both the pinnacle and logical conclusion of how the specialty-coffee industry wants to transform coffee itself.

I’ve been lucky enough to drink some Esmeralda Especial. Its price is steep, but it is — without question — one of the most delightful cups of coffee I’ve ever had to drink. It’s complex and requires far more attention to detail, but the results are worth it.