World's Most Expensive Coffee Is Made Out of Elephant Waste

The Black Ivory coffee is considered the world's most expensive coffee, setting aficionados back $1,100 (€850) per kilogram.

The production process starts with coffee berries being eaten by Thai elephants. The animals then pass it through their digestive track, and the remaining product is collected and processed.

Enzymes in the elephant’s stomach help with the bitterness, by breaking down proteins in the coffee beans. The elephants are only fed Thai Arabica coffee beans.

The coffee is only served in four exclusive locations around the world. It is produced and sold by Anantara Resorts. The Black Ivory is the result of a quest to achieve a finer, less bitter taste.

8 percent of proceeds from sales of Black Ivory coffee go to the Thai foundation that keeps the elephants in their care, the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation.

According to OddityCentral, makers boast that their fine blend contains notes of “milk chocolate, nutty, earthy with hints of spice and red berries.”