Luxury Sensation, Dubai Cafe Offers Rare Coffee For IDR 16 Million

JAKARTA - A cafe in Dubai has been in the spotlight after serving a cup of coffee which is claimed to be the most expensive coffee in the world. According to AFP reports, the price of one cup is almost 1,000 US dollars or Rp. 16 million

The coffee is served in a cafe called Julith, which is located in an industrial area but is now a favorite place for specialty coffee lovers. The cafe founders say they chose Dubai because the city is known for its luxury culture and unique experience.

"I feel Dubai is the most appropriate place for this investment," co-founder Serkan Sagsoz told AFP.

Reporting from the Says page, this coffee is made from 7 Geisha Nido seeds, which come from plantations near the Bargapi Mountain in Panama. Julith gets the seeds through a very competitive international auction, in which hundreds of participants from all over the world bid.

Around 2.2 million Dirham United Arab Emirates or Rp9.9 billion for just 20 kilograms of coffee beans. This amount is the highest price ever recorded for coffee purchases in an auction.

According to Sagsoz, the taste of this coffee is very smooth and light, to be more like tea than coffee in general. In one cup, visitors can feel the aroma and taste of jasmine, oranges, gast, apricot, petach, and sweet sensations such as honey.

Previously, the most expensive coffee record in Dubai was held by the Roasters cafe, which sold a cup of coffee for 2,500 Dirhams of the United Arab Emirates or IDR 11 million. But now the record has been surpassed by Julith at a price of 3,600 Dirhams of the United Arab Emirates or IDR 16 million per cup.

Residents' reactions were varied. Some were surprised, some thought this was normal for Dubai.

"It's shocking, but this is Dubai," said one resident.

Another commented that for certain people, enjoying expensive coffee is not a matter of taste, but about experience and pride.

After this news spread, Julith admitted to receiving many requests from Asian buyers, Emirati coffee collectors, to private coffee lovers who want to get the seeds. However, the cafe insists they do not plan to sell the seeds back.

The only exception is a small fraction of coffee beans that have been prepared specifically for the Dubai ruling family.