If you can get to London and have a spare $65, you may be able to sample one of the finest brews in the world.
Based in a very upscale district of Central London, the Queens of Mayfair coffee shop has already sold more than half of its available stock, which can only be drunk on the premises as part of an exclusive experience. This particular lot of Ethiopian coffee beans won first place in the Cup of Excellence, a prestigious annual competition for high-quality coffees.
The beans retail for up to £2,000 per kilogram and are truly fair trade as the Cup of Excellence program is designed to reward farmers for excellence, which means they receive most of the auction price -- 155 times the normal commodity price. The cafe, which also serves reasonably priced wine and cocktails, opens late to catch the evening crossover crowd.
As an Italian used to punchy espressos, he says,"When I had the coffee for the first time, it was a completely different experience."