Why Did This Espresso Cost $335?

Something a little different and hopefully fun today. A rare opportunity to taste a fancy thing...
Important note: While I want to make a series of these videos, they'll appear when opportunities to taste different expensive coffees pop up, rather than sequentially.

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[andrewyouv]

Imagine being a barista and James Hoffman walks in, then proceeds to order the most expensive coffee. No pressure.

[apophis]

This was the most polite way of saying “there is no world where this was worth the price” I’ve ever seen

[domainofscience]

I wonder what flavour notes the London street added

[ezza_t]

9:27 That look of disappointment in the last frame of the video says it all really

[Gustavestavez]

Paid AU$ 85 for a long black once. 5 for the coffee and 80 for the parking ticket I got for unknowingly parking in front of the post office on a Sunday.

[SuicidalLemonade]

I don't like paying £3 for a coffee knowing I can do better at home for less.

[Shigyo-ymdo]

Another youtuber named Mudan is currently in Okinawa and decided to check out Nakayama Farm after seeing your vid. 2000 yen ($12.50) gets you a coffee, some coffee leaf "tea, " a little snack and lots of Japanese hospitality. 500g of coffee beans are 1650 yen or about $11 dollars.

[Windshear_beer]

I'm a whisky drinker, and I find your content has a lot of relatable things. I've bought $80-$100 glasses (30ml) of whisky at specialised bars, and they're certainly fantastic but it's difficult to say they are worth the price on taste alone. The experience of sitting in the whisky bar, surrounded by an awesome collection, talking amongst like-minded people about your shared experiences tends to make up for the cost!

[JonnyBarrett]

I had a coffee in Barcelona once, whilst enjoying it, a beautiful woman offered me a compliment and after a short conversation offered to put her number in my phone - to cut a long story short... she stole my phone. 🤣 That was the most expensive coffee I've ever had.

[cmsu]

I once spill a cup of coffee on my AUD $3000 MacBook, that’s my most expensive cup of coffee…

I didn’t get to know how that cup tasted though…

[zorbathegeek]

Blue mountain taught me a lesson - expense doesn't reflect taste experience. Now that I've tried many different varieties of coffee, I've found what I like - Ethiopian, lightly roasted. It's definitely not the most expensive coffee.

[pulver]

Highlights what I love about James. First and foremost being respectful of the establishment and patrons. Most content creators don’t care who they step on or annoy. Secondly, James gets that what you are buying is a rarified experience. The shot is excellent but of itself as a coffee there are plenty of others that will match/exceed. You are buying the experience

And as I age, if I could give younger folks some wisdom: end of the day STUFF doesn’t matter. Stop chasing new shiny superficial crap. Spend your money on life experience. T R A V E L. Even if locally. Even if camping in a Walmart tent for a night. Experiences create lasting memories not stuff.

[Pasteurpipette]

My issue with trying ultra expensive coffee is twofold: either I won't get my money's worth, or I'll never like other coffee again.

[RecklessFables]

I went on a date with the cute brunette back in 1996. We had two amaretto cappuccinos and a plate of nachos. It led to student loans, a mortgage, and now medical bills in our middle age. Best damn cup of coffee anyone has ever had! ❤

[Patback]

James PLEASE do a video on lactic fermentation coffees. These are popping up EVERYWHERE in the USA. Would love to dive into process of how it made, what the characteristics are/can be, comparison to other modern/traditional methods, and what other niche or specialty roast methods are used

[catherinem]

Giving them a shoutout for being "hospitable and accommodating to our VERY difficult requests" is the most delightful polite sarcasm.

[joofbing]

My friend got a $2000+ Rocket espresso machine and a grinder close to a $1000. He pulled two double shots for me and him when he got the machine and has never since used it again. So between the two shots, it costed about $1500 per cup. That's the most expensive coffee I've ever had.

[ibate]

Waiting for ‘Hoffman bripes a $335 coffee’-Hames joffmann

[decaf_co]

We just sold out 2 crops of fancy fancy decaf. Albeit the same crop that brewers cup won in the US, we priced it at $52/300g and in hindsight could’ve fetched way more if we valued the demand, sold out in minutes on our website. People want the experience of good stuff, something we underestimated

[metallicamadsam]

You reviewed this really well. I enjoyed your non bias, but also your honesty x