On any list of expensive coffee, you would expect to see Kopi Luwak there, and it is, but it’s not number one. And civet cats are not the only animal that coffee producers gather poop from. That said, the other coffees on the list are no doubt high-quality, but you must expect at least some of the price to come from the cachet of the production location.
St. Helena is an island that can be found in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Its main claim to fame is its former status as the island prison of Napoleon Bonaparte, but it should be noted that its peculiar location has contributed to coffee-growing conditions that can be found nowhere else in the world. It is the flavor of St. Helena Coffee more than the costs of transportation that make its sales price $79 per pound.
Read the rest of the list at Money Inc, and then be glad that you’re “only” paying $4 or so a pound at your grocery.
There was also a generic at one of the local big box stores that tasted just about as good as the Folgers (I prefer their Columbian roast) for a comparable price-per-pound. No need to wait for sales with that option.