Yesterday, we noted that the average price of a 90+ point coffee from U.S. roasters in 2013 is $22.13 per pound. Count your blessings if you’re a consumer in the United States.
In 2013, we’ve reviewed 23 coffees rated 90+ from Taiwan. The average score was nearly identical to the U.S. average: 92.0 vs. 92.1 for the U.S. However, there was a dramatic price difference. The average price per pound in Taiwan was $39.30 (converted at an exchange rate of 0f 29.9 TWD to $US). That’s 75% more than in the United States.
I’d be interested to hear from others what factors are driving the significant difference. It does not appear to be a statistical anomaly, such as an over-weighting of expensive Geshas, luwaks, Konas, or JBM’s. In fact, nearly half of the 90+ point coffees from Taiwan are blends. In the U.S., almost all of the 90+ point coffees are single origin coffees.
