How To Make The World's Most Expensive Cup Of Coffee

Thailand's new Black Ivory Coffee brew costs $50 per serving. The process is, um, fascinating.

First, pick the beans.

A member of the Lisu hill tribe picks Thai arabica coffee beans at the Thai High coffee farm in Phrao.

Then mix them with fruit and rice.

Now feed the mixture to an elephant.

Yum!

Play!

(15-30 hours later...)

PLOP.

Let's get started.

Pick the beans from the poop.

Then wash the beans ...

roast and brew them ...

... And voila! Coffee naturally refined by a Thai elephant.

About 10,000 beans produce 1 kilogram of Black Ivory Coffee — 33 kilograms produce one kilo of the beverage.

The cost per serving ends up being $50, making it the world's new most expensive brew.

All photos by Paula Bronstein for Getty.