Dec 20, 2012

Would you spend $50 on a cup of exotic coffee?

The world’s most expensive coffee hails from Thailand thanks to Canadian coffee expert Blake Dinkin and his Black Ivory Coffee. The unique blend is made from Thai arabica hand-picked beans, and naturally refined by Thai elephants. What?!? A Thai elephant you say.

The process includes waiting 15-30 hours for the elephant to digest the beans. Once that happens, coffee beans are plucked from the dung, washed and roasted. Approximately 10,000 beans are picked to produce 1 kg or about 2.2 lbs of roasted coffee. At $1,100 per kilogram, the cost per cup equals $50, making the exotic new brew the world’s priciest cup of joe, according to Getty.

Photos taken by Paula Bronstein of Getty Images.

: Meet Blake Dinkin, founder of Black Ivory Coffee. Here he hugs an elephant at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. Black Ivory Coffee is made from Thai arabica hand picked beans. The coffee is created from a process whereby coffee beans are naturally refined by a Thai elephant. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: Black Ivory Coffee is created from a process whereby coffee beans are naturally refined by a Thai elephant. The children of a mahout play with an elephant next to elephant dung containing coffee beans at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on December 9, 2012 in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: Ray Buerger, owner of Thai High Ventures, carries a large bag of freshly picked coffee beans at the Thai High coffee farm on December 8, 2012 in Phrao, northern Thailand. The organic fair trade coffee farm was chosen to help produce the Black Ivory Coffee. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: A member of the Lisu hill tribe picks Thai arabica coffee beans at the Thai High coffee farm on December 8, 2012 in Phrao, northern Thailand. The organic fair trade coffee farm was chosen to help produce the Black Ivory Coffee. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: A member of the Lisu hill tribe picks Thai arabica coffee beans at the Thai High coffee farm on December 8, 2012 in Phrao, northern Thailand. About 33 kilograms of raw coffee cherries is needed to produce 1 kilo of Black Ivory Coffee. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: A Thai elephant walks in the jungle in the early morning fog at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. Photo taken Dec. 9, 2012. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: Lun, a Thai mahout, stirs up a coffee bean mixture with fruit and rice that will be fed to some elephants at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on December 9, 2012 in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: Coffee beans are seen being stirred into a mixture with fruit and rice that will be fed to some elephants at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on December 9, 2012 in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: Lun, a Thai mahout, serves a coffee bean mixture to an elephant at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on December 10, 2012 in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: A Thai elephant scoops up a coffee bean mixture with fruit and rice at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: Thai elephants head to the river for an early morning bathe at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on December 10, 2012 in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: A mahout rides his elephant after bathing at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on December 10, 2012 in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: Thai elephants during an early morning graze at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort December 10, 2012 in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: A Thai elephant’s eye is caught by the sunlight at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on December 10, 2012 in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: A Thai elephant is seen alongside dung filled with coffee beans at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on December 10, 2012 in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: Niang, a mahout’s wife, and her daughter Ari, 6, look for elephant dung at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on December 10, 2012 in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: Mahout’s wives pick out coffee beans from elephant dung at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on December 10, 2012 in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: Mahout wives Niang (L) with her son Anawat, 3, and Lynda (R) pick out coffee beans from elephant dung at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: Mahout’s wives pick out coffee beans from elephant dung at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on December 10, 2012 in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. It takes about 15-30 hours for the elephant to digest the beans, and later they are plucked from their dung and washed and roasted. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: Niang, a mahout’s wife and her daughter Ari, 6, wash the coffee beans after picking them from the dung at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on December 10, 2012 in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: A mahout watches as elephants are fed a coffee bean mixture with fruit and rice at an elephant camp at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on December 10, 2012 in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: A balance brewer makes Black Ivory coffee at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort on December 10, 2012 in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. At $1,100 per kilogram or $500 per pound, the cost per cup equals $50, making the exotic new brew the world’s priciest. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

: Miki Giles from Hong Kong tastes the Black Ivory Coffee at breakfast as Meena, a 6 year old baby elephant, gets curious at the Anantara Golden Triangle resort December 10, 2012 in Golden Triangle, northern Thailand. In order to demonstrate freshness and to enhance diners’ senses, the coffee is ground by hand at the table and brewed using technology developed in 1840 in Austria, says Anantara Hotels, Resorts and Spas. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)

The world’s most expensive cup of joe

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