The rarest coffee in the world?

Those with a taste for a high-class product and an indulgent experience will be thrilled to hear about this month’s launch of the world’s rarest and most premium coffee - at £50 per cup.

Coffee expert, De’Longhi have unveiled the world’s most exclusive coffee, Caffé Raro at Peter Jones on Sloane Square. Combining two of the world’s rarest coffee beans, Kopi Luwak and Jamaican Blue Mountain – this luxury blend will be on sale for the first time in Peter Jones, the landmark Chelsea department store and through the De’Longhi website throughout April, with limited availability.

“Caffé Raro is an extremely exciting coffee and a first for the UK – if not the world! These two incredibly rare coffees have never been blended before and the result is a very rich and full tasting espresso. These coffees have been slowly hand roasted for around 12 minutes to ensure that we maximise the potential of each coffee.

“The final roast colour is quite dark to ensure that the espresso is perfect for a smooth latte or cappuccino,” said David Cooper creator of De’Longhi’s Caffé Raro, World Barista Championship Judge and Board Director of the World Barista Championships.

With statistics showing that the British drink around 70 million cups of coffee a day, coffee is becoming increasingly popular in the predominantly tea drinking UK.

“Over the last 10 years demand for new and increasingly sophisticated coffees has been on the rise. We're finding that consumers are becoming more aware of premium coffee and the different variables that are important in creating the perfect coffee – from selecting your favourite quality beans, to choosing an espresso coffee machine that will extract the best elements of the coffee at professional 15 Bar pressure for the ultimate espresso,” said Giovanni Toffano, Marketing Manager of De’Longhi UK.

Blended in the De’Longhi bean-to-cup PrimaDonna coffee machine, the unique grinding process and the professional 15 Bar pressure of the PrimaDonna machine, perfectly combines the Kopi Luwak and Jamaican Blue Mountain beans – producing a full bodied flavour and espresso bliss.

Jamaican Blue Mountain is a coffee grown in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica, between Kingston and Port Maria. Rising to 7,500 feet, the Blue Mountains are some of the highest in the Caribbean. The climate of the region is cool and misty with high rainfall and rich soil. This combination of climate and soil is considered ideal for coffee. Jamaica Blue Mountain is noted for its mild flavour and lack of bitterness and over the last several decades has developed a reputation as one of the most expensive and sought-after coffees in the world.

Kopi Luwak is widely regarded as the most expensive individual coffee bean on the market. Produced in Indonesia, this rare bean is digested by the Palm cat, a process which creates an earthy flavour celebrated by coffee aficionados. With only 200 kilos produced each year demand for the bean is strong and prices remain high.

“Launching Caffé Raro at Peter Jones is a fantastic opportunity, not just to give our customers a high quality, exclusive product, but also a premium service experience. As well as being available to purchase by packet, Caffé Raro will be served in Peter Jones’ Top Floor Espresso Bar and the Brasserie, with our expert baristas on hand to provide guidance on the blending and preparation of Caffé Raro as well as recommendations on ideal food or dessert accompaniments.

“Armed with a wealth of knowledge, customers will be able to serve an impressive after-dinner coffee,” said Joe Teixeira, Head of Catering at Peter Jones and John Lewis.

Caffé Raro is available in the Peter Jones Espresso Bar and Brasserie by the cup as well as in-store in 100g packets throughout April. De’Longhi’s Caffé Raro retails for £50 per 100g packet or £50 a cup.

All proceeds from the sale of the coffee will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support to help people whose lives have been affected by cancer. For more details, visit Peterjones.co.uk. To find out more information about the De’Longhi Caffé Raro blend visit Seriousaboutcoffee.com.