Would you pay Dh3,600 for a cup of coffee? A cafe in Dubai is hoping connoisseurs will splash out to enjoy an ultra-rare variety sourced from a high-altitude, family-run farm in Panama.
The beans, a washed Geisha variety, will be roasted in “extremely limited quantities”, but a sample has been reserved for Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai.
Nido 7 Geisha will be available at Julith, a roastery brew lounge in Al Quoz, from November 1 as part of its Panama Geisha experience.
It follows Julith’s record-breaking purchase of the rare coffee at the 2025 Best of Panama Auction in August for a staggering Dh2.2 million ($604,080) – the highest price ever paid for a coffee lot.
The acquisition, alongside significant purchases by other local roasters such as Archers Coffee and The Espresso Lab, made global headlines and enhanced Dubai’s reputation as a prime destination for luxury coffee.
Serkan Sagsoz, head coffee roaster at Julith, is anticipating strong demand for the Nido 7 Geisha experience. “This is not a gimmick or marketing stunt,” he said. “Nido 7 Geisha is a remarkable coffee that only a handful of people on the planet will ever taste, and now, for the first time, that’s possible right here in Dubai.
“With so little of it in existence, every cup feels like a piece of history. I would be truly honoured to one day brew a cup for His Highness Sheikh Mohammed.”
What is included?
The Dh3,600 price includes guided tasting, an experience that traces the bean’s journey from Panama to your cup, with space for up to four guests in each group.
Each session will feature “one meticulously brewed cup, served simply and without embellishment”. Guests who prefer to forgo the experience can still enjoy the coffee on its own.
With only 20kg in existence globally, Nido 7 Geisha sparked an intense bidding war at the August auction, attracting 549 bids from the world’s most respected roasters and collectors before Julith ultimately secured the lot.
Why is Geisha coffee so expensive?
Geisha coffee was discovered in Ethiopia, but is also grown in Honduras and Colombia, as well as Panama.
It needs high mountains, rich soil and careful attention from farmers to grow because it is so delicate. Only a small amount is produced each year. But it’s not just its scarcity that makes it expensive. Experts also credit its incredible quality.
The bean made history at the Best of Panama Auction by scoring an unprecedented 98 points from 22 of the world's leading coffee experts, the highest result ever recorded in speciality coffee.
No variety had previously scored more than 96.5 points, and six international judges even awarded Nido 7 Geisha a perfect 100.
Harvested in April, the Nido 7 Geisha beans underwent a meticulous 48-hour cold-temperature fermentation followed by climate-controlled drying to preserve the flavour.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Duminy's Test career in numbers
Tests 46; Runs 2,103; Best 166; Average 32.85; 100s 6; 50s 8; Wickets 42; Best 4-47
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
RESULTS
Welterweight
Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) beat Mostafa Radi (PAL)
(Unanimous points decision)
Catchweight 75kg
Anas Siraj Mounir (MAR) beat Leandro Martins (BRA)
(Second round knockout)
Flyweight (female)
Manon Fiorot (FRA) beat Corinne Laframboise (CAN)
(RSC in third round)
Featherweight
Bogdan Kirilenko (UZB) beat Ahmed Al Darmaki
(Disqualification)
Lightweight
Izzedine Al Derabani (JOR) beat Rey Nacionales (PHI)
(Unanimous points)
Featherweight
Yousef Al Housani (UAE) beat Mohamed Fargan (IND)
(TKO first round)
Catchweight 69kg
Jung Han-gook (KOR) beat Max Lima (BRA)
(First round submission by foot-lock)
Catchweight 71kg
Usman Nurmogamedov (RUS) beat Jerry Kvarnstrom (FIN)
(TKO round 1).
Featherweight title (5 rounds)
Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) v Alexandru Chitoran (ROU)
(TKO round 1).
Lightweight title (5 rounds)
Bruno Machado (BRA) beat Mike Santiago (USA)
(RSC round 2).
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Two-step truce
The UN-brokered ceasefire deal for Hodeidah will be implemented in two stages, with the first to be completed before the New Year begins, according to the Arab Coalition supporting the Yemeni government.
By midnight on December 31, the Houthi rebels will have to withdraw from the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa and Al Saqef, coalition officials told The National.
The second stage will be the complete withdrawal of all pro-government forces and rebels from Hodeidah city, to be completed by midnight on January 7.
The process is to be overseen by a Redeployment Co-ordination Committee (RCC) comprising UN monitors and representatives of the government and the rebels.
The agreement also calls the deployment of UN-supervised neutral forces in the city and the establishment of humanitarian corridors to ensure distribution of aid across the country.
