{"id":90690,"date":"2025-07-25T06:33:18","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T06:33:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/90690\/"},"modified":"2025-07-25T06:33:18","modified_gmt":"2025-07-25T06:33:18","slug":"this-is-the-most-expensive-cup-of-coffee-in-nyc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/90690\/","title":{"rendered":"This is the most expensive cup of coffee in NYC"},"content":{"rendered":"

You must be joe-king.<\/p>\n

The Big Apple\u2019s most expensive cup of coffee is being brewed by a UK company in the heart of Manhattan \u2014 but opinions are far from blended on whether the caffeine is worth the pricetag.<\/a><\/p>\n

WatchHouse is hawking its 8-oz cup of La Negrita pourover at a jaw-dropping $28 \u2014 or $30 with tax included, before tip \u2014 a figure the company justifies based on the years-long process it takes to get the beanwater in front of their coffee-obsessed customers.<\/a><\/p>\n

The La Negrita coffee at WatchHouse costs $28, making it the most expensive in the Big Apple. Matthew McDermott<\/p>\n

But even ardent java junkies got a rude awakening when The Post conducted a blind taste test in Midtown.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s pretty heinous,\u201d Graham O\u2019Donnell said when he learned about the price tag after taking a sip of the brew \u2014 which he admitted was still delicious.<\/p>\n

Most of the nearly a dozen bystanders who were asked to guess the coffee\u2019s price after trying it agreed the cost was ridiculous, but that the flavor was superior, too.<\/p>\n

Not everyone was buying it, however.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s\u00a0horrible!\u201d said Scarlett Graves, a visitor from Arkansas who told The Post she has a cup of Peet\u2019s Coffee a day.<\/p>\n

\u201cYuck!\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0really acidic,\u201d she said, adding it was \u201csilly\u201d that it cost $28 and that \u201cto me, $0.\u00a0I\u00a0wouldn\u2019t\u00a0buy that.\u201d <\/p>\n

Time Out New York called the coffee drink<\/a> \u2014 which comes on a platter alongside a green tea palate cleanser \u2014 a \u201c$28 investment poured in a glass vessel.\u201d<\/p>\n

La Negrita is the priciest cup on the shop\u2019s Rarities pourover menu, which includes five others ranging from $14 to $28, and even briefly peddled a $58 limited edition option.<\/p>\n

The La Negrita comes on a serving tray with a small green tea palate cleanser. Matthew McDermott<\/p>\n

It could take as long as five years to grow the rare beans and turn them into beanwater. Matthew McDermott<\/p>\n

Reps for the UK-based shop have said they were hawking as many as 400 cups per month across two Manhattan locations.<\/p>\n

At that price, a WatchHouse barista making $18.92 per hour <\/a>would need to spend 90 minutes crafting La Negritas before they could afford their own \u2014 but the intensive labor it takes to make each cup is exactly what makes it close so much.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis takes quite a bit of equipment and a lot of labor, and also a strong understanding of science and what\u2019s happening during fermentation to get the profile that you want,\u201d explained \u201ccoffee lead\u201d Sachi Patel.<\/p>\n

Harrison Huang said the coffee and experience was well worth the $28 price. Katherine Donlevy\/NY Post<\/p>\n

WatchHouse offers six coffees from is Rarities menu, ranging in price from $14 to $28. Matthew McDermott<\/p>\n

The La Negrita drink is produced from the \u201crare and so difficult to produce\u201d Gesha bean, which takes up to five years before it can be plucked and shipped to a UK roastery, Patel told The Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter the coffee is roasted, our senior coffee team in the UK will do quite a bit of recipe testing to find out the best water temperature and brewing method to brew the coffee at and then that will be communicated with all of head baristas at each location, who will make sure that the coffee is tasting the way we want it to,\u201d said Patel, adding that the perfected beans are then finally fermented for 36 hours before being bottled for preservation.<\/p>\n

The lengthy history is communicated to the customer during service, much like at a wine tasting \u2014 which could be an integral part of the price.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt $28 I\u2019m going to see my bodega man, put some weight at the bottom. We\u2019d just be chilling and then I\u2019d buy another cup,\u201d said Jared Hunter. Matthew McDermott<\/p>\n

And it certainly has a loyal cult following, with coffee lovers like Sarah Allmon, <\/a>who emphasized the experience wasn\u2019t for the average Dunkin\u2019 enthusiast.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re willing to go the extra mile to get a really good pour-over,\u201d Allmon, 31, of the Upper East Side said, rating WatchHouse as one of the top 5 of the nearly 100 coffee shops she\u2019s ever visited in the Big Apple.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think if you\u2019re someone that\u2019s really chasing that specialty coffee or seeing what is the unique option out there, I think that the rarities would definitely pull your interest.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Post conducted a blind taste test with New Yorkers on the street in which they were asked to guess the cost of an 8 oz cup. Matthew McDermott<\/p>\n

Harrison Huang \u2014 a tourist from Los Angeles who described himself as a \u201creally big coffee person\u201d \u2014 agreed, telling The Post he stopped by WatchHouse as part of a self-conducted tour of several other high-end coffee shops during his trip to the Big Apple.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor me, the most interesting part is to try different coffee beans and how the coffee shop is using their technique to kind of display \u2014 that\u2019s a fun way to look at it, too,\u201d said Huang, 31, as he sipped on a $14 Pepe Jijon,his second cup after trying a $23 Abu Lot.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not always looking at the coffee bean, but also the machine they\u2019re using and how they are approaching this plane,\u201d he said, \u201cthe whole environment is what I\u2019m looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n

For those looking for a more classic, New York experience, Mohammad Ishmail has been hawking $2 cups of joe out of his breakfast cart just around the corner from WatchHouse\u2019s Fifth Avenue location since 2011, describing his clientele as mostly construction and blue-collar workers.<\/p>\n

\u201cCoffee is coffee. That\u2019s what matters,\u201d said Ishmail. \u201cAt 5 o\u2019clock in the morning, I have one and that\u2019s good for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

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