Black Ivory Coffee

In the lush hills of northern Thailand, a herd of twenty elephants is helping to excrete some of the world's most expensive coffee.

Trumpeted as earthy in flavour and smooth on the palate, the exotic new brew is made from beans eaten by Thai elephants and plucked a day later from their dung. A gut reaction inside the elephant creates what its founder calls the coffee's unique taste.

Stomach turning or oddly alluring, this is not just one of the world's most unusual speciality coffees. At US$1,100 (S$1343) per kg, it is also among the world's priciest.

For now, only the wealthy or well-travelled have access to the cuppa, which is called Black Ivory Coffee.