Would You Pay $18 For This Cup Of Coffee?

When it comes to coffee, many of us have a Lorelai Gilmore-type approach: basically, it's as essential as oxygen. But while you may go to great lengths to get your caffeine fix in the morning, would you be wiling to fork over almost $20 for just a single cup? Extraction Lab, a new coffee shop in New York City, plans to charge a whopping $18 for a mug of their new specialty brew.

Considering you can get a cup of coffee for just a couple of bucks at many places, throwing down $18 for one is a huge expense. So what about Extraction Lab's coffee makes it what Eater calls "the most expensive cup of brew in America?" Apparently, it's created by a special machine called Steampunk that replicates the results of assorted brewing methods, including French press, pour-over and Chemex. But that's not what's driving up the price. What makes this coffee really expensive is the bean.

Extraction Lab reportedly gets its coffee from Ninety Plus Gesha Estates, which grows a rare — and costly — type of coffee called gesha. Just how expensive is it? The varietal has previously sold at auctions for as high as $350 a pound, unroasted. Wowza! Talk about a serious caffeine addiction.

Of course, the question is, is it worth the exorbitant price? According to Eater, the coffee may not be suitable for everyone's taste. Though baristas reportedly praise the bean's complexity, the average coffee drinker may find it too light and tea-like to satisfy their need for caffeine.

Obviously, handing over $18 for just one cup of coffee would likely be a tough pill to swallow for many. That being said, serious coffee aficionados may want to give it a try, if only to cross it off their bucket lists!