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What Makes St. Helena Coffee Special as One of the World's Top Ten Most Expensive Coffees? St. Helena Coffee Pour-Over

Published: 2026-01-27 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/27, Professional coffee knowledge exchange For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account cafe_style) Once listed as one of the world's top ten most expensive coffees, St. Helena Coffee was out of stock in Taiwan for two years and finally reappeared in 2011. Taiwan's first official import of St. Helena Coffee was in 2006, when the supply came from the Napoleon Manor on the island, however from

Professional coffee knowledge exchange and more coffee bean information. Please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style).

Once listed among the world's ten most expensive coffees, St. Helena Coffee was out of stock in Taiwan for two years, finally reappearing in Taiwan in 2011. Taiwan's first official import of St. Helena Coffee was in 2006, when the supply came from the island's Napoleon Estate. However, due to the small island size, limited production, and difficulty finding labor, the supply became unstable and eventually ceased production. Later, the importer switched to cooperation with another estate, enabling re-import.

Reviews of St. Helena Coffee are quite polarized. One group believes that St. Helena Coffee is entirely hype-driven, claiming that according to formal cupping, it doesn't even make the top ten, yet its price far exceeds the top-ranked coffees. Another group believes that coffee is inherently subjective, and those who love it naturally feel it deserves its reputation.

According to Forbes' 2006 recommendation of the world's ten most expensive coffees: Geisha Coffee (Hacienda la Esmeralda Geisha), Kopi Luwak, St. Helena Coffee, El Injerto, Fazenda Santa Ines, Blue Mountain, Los Planes, Kona Coffee, Starbucks Rwanda Blue Bourbon, and Yauco Selecto Coffee.

St. Helena Coffee traces back to 1733 when the British East India Company brought seeds for cultivation. The commercial purpose of bringing coffee at that time is now difficult to determine. In any case, it was planted everywhere, thriving even without care. During this period, Napoleon was exiled to this island after his defeat, and this tragic hero added color to St. Helena Coffee's story. Napoleon left an immortal quote: "Coffee is the only good thing on St. Helena Island!" Through these two to three hundred years, a British visitor David R. Henry restarted the path to St. Helena's coffee revival, finally allowing coffee lovers to experience what is meant by the concept of top-tier coffee!

There are two simple reasons why St. Helena Coffee tastes so good:

Story: The story isn't fabricated but rather the result of historical coincidences. It's not about how painstaking the cultivation was, but rather its lineage, the eras it has experienced, and its geography woven together into a unique process!

Rarity: The small island limits coffee bean production, yet this creates a form of protection, isolating it from the chemical fertilizers that inevitably come with large-scale cultivation. Geographical barriers also protect it from human exploitation, ensuring purity and naturalness, making every bean precious!

During a 1986 trip to St. Helena, David R. Henry had the chance to taste coffee produced on St. Helena Island. This batch of coffee was grown in the garden of the then-Governor of St. Helena's residence, where a 260-year-old tortoise named Jonathan also lived.

Deeply attracted to St. Helena Coffee and also hoping to settle there, David decided to fully commit to promoting St. Helena Coffee.

Over the subsequent eight years, David researched coffee cultivation on St. Helena Island and the feasibility of selling coffee externally, thereby assessing the possibility of establishing a company.

However, the most crucial step at that time was to revise the UK's position in the global coffee market. At that time, the UK was only a coffee-importing country and needed to become both an exporter and importer to successfully market St. Helena Coffee.

FrontStreet Coffee suggests brewing with water at 89-90°C for about two minutes. The entry features lively citrus acidity that is captivating, with thick, rich gelatinous sweetness that creates endless aftertaste in the throat, with every breath echoing ethereal and fragrant aromas.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, offering both famous and lesser-known beans, as well as online store services. https://shop104210103.taobao.com