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We have searched the specialty coffee market for the priciest coffee in the world--not the most expensive cups of coffee, which can vary by a matter of cents--but the priciest specialty beans.

They include such products as Hacienda la Esmeralda Geisha from Panama, which made news at the end of May when it set an auction record of $50.25 per pound. Praised for its fruit and floral flavors, it retails for more than $100 per pound. There are also novelty coffees, whose prices are influenced not just by quality, but by the romance or uniqueness of their origins. Read more…

I reflected that neighbouring Costa Rica draws a billion tourist dollars a year, compared to Panama's mere fistful. And yet Panama easily outscores Costa Rica in every department. I raised a bottle of Balboa in salute to a fine country that I had practically to myself. Read more…