The Real Value of a Cup of Coffee

I didn’t expect much when I joined that online auction for a rare coffee people called the best in the world , I thought it would be dull but it turned out to be strangely intense My heart was racing as the bids climbed higher and higher .
It felt almost ridiculous watching coffee sell for more than the old car I used to drive I had already tasted several cups trying to see what made them so special.

The professional tasters told me too much caffeine makes it harder to judge clearly.
They were right My hands were shaking and everything felt a little blurry.
Even when the final price didn’t break the all time record it was still unbelievable .
That coffee was several times more expensive than anything you’d find in a regular café and a hundred times the price farmers usually get.

Could it really taste that much better?
We ground the beans and lined up the cups on the table.
The aroma filled the air sweet and light with hints of citrus .
The expert described it as floral with touches of tangerine and chocolate I wasn’t sure what to expect but even I could smell something bright and fruity almost like passionfruit .

When we poured the hot water the grounds floated and then slowly sank The taste was smooth with a soft floral note that reminded me of jasmine tea But the expert frowned .
He said the flavor lacked the sparkle it used to have The batch was good but not magical.
Later I found out he was right The highest price that day went to another batch grown higher up in the same region It was said to have flavors of jasmine mandarin chocolate and blackberry jam That was the one that made collectors lose their minds .

The rest sold for much less Honestly it made me feel a little better I’d always suspected that the hype around expensive coffee was a bit overblown .
The expert disagreed saying judges had ranked it perfect again and again Some coffees reach ninety points he said This one scored a hundred Almost unheard of It was fascinating to taste it but it didn’t feel life changing For all its fruit and floral notes it still tasted like coffee And maybe that’s the point.

For me the simple cup you grab in the morning the one that wakes you up and smells like home will always be worth more than any auctioned bean I had my moment with fancy coffee but it didn’t change my world What about you