Indulgence or extravagance: $686 cup of coffee sparks mixed reactions

A handcrafted coffee named "Carmen", priced at 4,988 yuan ($686) per cup in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, has ignited a mixture of reactions and opinions.

Pumpli House, the coffee shop, claims that Carmen is made from Geisha coffee beans, auctioned as the "Best of Panama" (BOP), with a staggering price of $10,005 per kilogram.

This 4,988-yuan coffee is brewed using about 15 grams of these prized beans, producing around 200 milliliters of coffee with a rich, well-rounded flavor and the fragrant aroma of jasmine.

Panama Geisha coffee bean is renowned for its high price due to its rarity, production costs, and superior flavor, attributed to Panama's climate, soil, altitude, and geographic positioning.

News of this luxurious coffee quickly spread on social media platforms, sparking diverse public opinions.

Some noted that, as long as the pricing is transparent, individuals can decide if they want to pay for such an extravagant experience. Comparisons were drawn to luxury alcoholic beverages, emphasizing that extravagance caters to different consumer groups.

Jokingly, some even suggested crowdfunding to share the costly drink, proposing a "one person, one sip" approach.

However, not all reviews were glowing. A prominent blogger with over 36 million followers ordered Carmen coffee and was left disappointed, describing the taste as "spoiled leftover food." He found it difficult to distinguish it from regular coffee and noted a slight sourness.

The local market supervision authority responded to the incident by stating that businesses have the right to set their prices, provided the ingredients are genuine. If consumers have concerns about pricing, they can report or complain, and personnel will be dispatched to verify the situation on-site.

Notably, the same type of coffee was featured at Dashang Group's booth at the China International Import Expo in Shanghai, selling for 6,999 yuan per cup.

Zhang Sixia, a sales manager from Dashang Group, disclosed that the company had previously acquired the Carmen Estate in Panama. The booth also offered coffee at lower prices, ranging from 34 to 169 yuan, which contained Geisha beans from the Carmen Estate but were not of competition-grade.

Recent data from the International Coffee Organization reveals that China's annual coffee consumption has been expanding at an average rate of over 15 percent in the past decade, in contrast to the international growth rate of coffee consumption standing at 2.2 percent.