DUBAI – A Dubai café has shattered the world record for the most expensive cup of coffee, offering customers a premium brew for nearly $1 000 (about R17 351) per cup using rare purchased at an unprecedented price.
The Julith café, located in an industrial neighbourhood that has transformed into a coffee enthusiast’s paradise, will begin serving approximately 400 cups of the extraordinary beverage starting Saturday. Each cup carries a price tag of 3 600 dirhams.
“We felt Dubai was the perfect place for our investment,” said Serkan Sagsoz, co-founder of Julith café. The Turkish entrepreneur previously operated a café in his home country before bringing this ambitious venture to the Emirates.
The premium coffee, made from “Nido 7 Geisha” beans grown near Panama’s Baru volcano, offers what Sagsoz describes as a tea-like experience with complex flavor profiles.
“There are white floral notes like jasmine, citrus flavours like orange and bergamot and a hint of apricot and peach,” Sagsoz explained. “It’s like honey, delicate and sweet.”
This launch comes just one month after Dubai set its previous Guinness World Record for the most expensive cup of coffee, when Roasters café offered their premium brew for 2,500 dirhams. Julith’s offering represents a significant leap beyond that benchmark.
The café’s investment began with an intense auction battle in Panama, where hundreds of bidders competed over many hours for the exclusive beans. Julith ultimately secured 20 kilograms of the rare coffee for approximately 2.2 million dirhams (about R10 418 925), claiming to have paid the highest price ever recorded for coffee beans.
The astronomical price tag has generated varied responses from Dubai residents and visitors.
“It’s very shocking but at the same time, it’s Dubai,” commented Ines, a local resident who declined to provide her surname.
Maeva, another resident, offered a more cynical perspective: “For wealthy people, it’s just another experience they can boast about.”
Despite significant interest from Asian buyers, Emirati coffee enthusiasts, and international collectors seeking to purchase the precious “Nido 7 Geisha” beans, Julith has no plans to share its treasure. The café has reserved only a small portion of its supply for Dubai’s ruling family.
The record-breaking coffee offering aligns with Dubai’s reputation for extravagant ventures, joining the ranks of the emirate’s other superlative attractions: the world’s largest shopping mall featuring an indoor ski area, the planet’s tallest building, and artificial islands adorned with five-star resorts.
As the wealthy emirate continues to push boundaries in luxury experiences, this $1,000 cup of coffee represents another milestone in Dubai’s ongoing quest to offer the world’s most exclusive amenities.
