Using equipment that looks more scientific than culinary, Extraction Lab in Brooklyn is serving up coffee hailed as the best for nearly $18 a pop.

When is coffee more than just a Cup of Joe? At what point does the caffeinated liquid elevate beyond something every day and become a luxury item? Well, it really depends on how much of a coffee geek you are, or how finely tuned your taste buds really are. 

Extraction Lab in Sunset Park believes that the right brew is worth every penny and have opened a cafe that is more than a little like a science lab. After all, making the right cup to its full potential is a science, factoring in all details from the origin of bean, roasting technique, grind texture, water temperature, extraction method and length. They use a speciality machine called the Steampunk, which allows the most precise control of temperature, volume, time, and agitation plus offers four different levels of filtration adding another dimension of control. This machine cost close to $14,000 for a set of two, but amazingly enough, that's not what makes this coffee shop able to push prices up. 

The real price factor here is the bean itself. True coffee connoisseurs can tell you all the small details about why Arabica tastes the way it does and why Ethiopian Yirge Cheffe is something you really have to try, but many consider the crème de la crème to be a varietal called Geisha, an incredibly rare and highly valued bean. Coming from trees that only produce beans every eight years and has to be grown at a specific high altitude. An incredible light brew, Geisha is lusted over by true coffee nerds for its complexity, but to the average drinker is almost tastes like tea when made properly. These beans can sell for around the ballpark of $350 a pound, unroasted, but they're not even to everyone's tastes. Extraction Lab sells their Geisha coffee for £18 a cup.

For all the hype that Extraction Lab has received for this prestigious concoction, they are still a regular coffee shop at their core just with some really fancy equipment. They do sell normal coffee and tea for mear mortals at regular prices if all you really need is that morning jolt to get you ready to face the day. 

Ideal For

Experiencing coffee at its geekiest form.

Signature Drinks

Geisha Coffee