Geisha Coffee

Mercy…

Nov. 28 (Bloomberg) — Starbucks Corp. has started selling a specialty coffee that costs $7 for a 16-ounce “grande” cup, making it the company’s priciest brew, as customers demand more premium products.

The Costa Rica Finca Palmilera coffee costs $40 for a half- pound bag and $6 for a 12-ounce “tall” cup, Lisa Passe, a Starbucks spokeswoman, said in an e-mail. It’s made from a rare, difficult-to-grow varietal called Geisha. The new coffee is available at only 46 locations in the U.S. Northwest with expensive Clover brewing machines.

But, but, but… notice to whom they are comparing their Geisha Coffee— the world’s finest, Intelligentsia.

Starbucks, the world’s largest coffee-shop operator, competes in specialty coffees with companies such as Chicago- based Intelligentsia Coffee & Tea Inc. and Portland, Oregon- based Stumptown Coffee Roasters, which rely on “single-origin” and “direct trade” coffee to sell to discerning customers.