Would you pay £15 for the ‘perfect’ coffee?

IF YOU baulk at the prices in your local coffee shop, then this brew will certainly keep you up at night.

At £15 a cup, the star item at Le Cafe Alain Ducasse may seem steep, but its owners hope coffee connoisseurs will take the hit for what they claim is the ‘perfect’ blend.

The London cafe has described the coffee as ‘one of the best in the world’, with notes of bergamot orange, cocoa nibs, grape, red berries and honey.

Another reason for the high price is that the beans are exported from a smallholding in war-torn Yemen through military checkpoints. The grower only produces 13 kilos a year at present.

Olivier Fellous, the cafe’s general manager, told the Evening Standard: ‘We’re offering an expensive coffee for sure and we know not everyone can afford it.

‘The first reason is the taste. Chef Ducasse says it’s perfect, there’s nothing wrong with this coffee. The second is it’s very challenging to bring here because it grows 2,300 metres above sea level. The owners only harvest 13 kilos a year.’

The cafe, which opened in King’s Cross in January, is owned by three-Michelinstarred chef Alain Ducasse, best known for his kitchen at Mayfair’s Dorchester hotel.

The £15 price tag has already divided customers. While Sarah Rotheram, 45, described the flavours as ‘incredible’, Jen Schlecter, 30, said: ‘It is crazy. If it’s made to a fair-trade agreement then great, but I would still think twice about spending £15 on a cup of coffee.’