It gets a lot steeper. At the tippy top the going rate for the scarcest, most desirable gesha is around $600 a kilo, $250 a pound, give or take.

Trying it before you buy is very reasonable. I’ve given people coffee similar to what Brandywine does best and gotten blank looks. It doesn’t look like they have an official coffee shop but inevitably near any premium roaster there is a good cafe selling their coffee.

I have an Ode, so not able to go fine enough for espresso. A new grinder would be unavoidable.

I have considered a Gaggia, though I’m hesitant to buy a project. I already have a few projects I’m not doing. The Turin has temperature control and a pressure gauge with the ability to modify in pressure control, I think it might be enough, and a Flair is likewise a consideration. I’m loathe to buy something less capable than those knowing I’ll want to replace it, but a Bambino is nevertheless in consideration too.

I’m not sure what gets me over the hump. For now I’m enjoying amazing pourover.

I think this coffee would do well in any brewing method.

I’ve been considering an espresso setup recently and I keep hitting a roadblock. I’m making pourover coffee at a high level and I have easy access to two local coffee shops that make amazing espresso. To actually get better coffee I need to spend an uncomfortable amount of money.

I had a chat with a friend about what buying a proper espresso setup would take. The answer is any sort of windfall, at all. So if I win $200 from a beauty contest I think I’m legally on the hook for a Timemore Sculptor 064s and a Turin Legato.

I suspect the Halloweenie on their website now is the same bean, they can’t be buying too many lots from Chelbesa. At the very least it would be similar.

If you’re well familiar with Ethiopia, I think many other roasters sell similarly good Ethopian coffee. If you want to try Brandywine, their weirder stuff is amazing. I seldom rebuy coffees but they had a peach coferment Star Trek TNG themed coffee earlier this year that I tried to buy more of after it sold out. One of the best coffees I’ve ever had. The others I’ve bought have been stellar, too.

Great bag art, too. It’s a little thing but I love it.

I did not actively know that, though I passively expect as much from any Texas company.

If it makes you feel any better, like all but two of my other mugs it’s thrifted. I was aware they’re a big Go Texas Go! company so I was tickled at the idea of the mug being made in China.

It’s tame in the sense that Brandywine is better known for their coferments or infusions, pretty weird coffee. My most recent posts have also been on weird, heavily manipulated coffees from Luminous and Black and White.

In terms of quality, it’s excellent. People unfamiliar with natural process coffee might find it a little odd, but it’s still very coffee flavored, just more lush.

I’ve put some serious thoughts into what I pay for coffee. I wrote about it at some length in a recent post about Luminous, which is a good bit more costly.

If this is outside what you’d like to pay, I understand. It’s well past the point of diminishing returns.

That said, Brandywine roasts some of the best coffee in the world and I’m drinking it for $1.55 a cup, including the filter. Coffee is a hobby to me. I can afford an extra dollar a day to go from meh to best in the world. My demand is pretty inelastic near this price point; I would pay a lot more than $1.55 a cup and not change my coffee habits at all.