With a background in marketing and a fascination for human psychology and why people choose A over B I would love to see a side-by-side BLIND taste test between the "pre digested" coffees and just a "good" coffee (like the El Salvador Santa Barbara Bourbon we just had a small lot of -- unbelievably good!).
I've got a feeling that the Kopi Luwak type coffees, or Jamacian Blue Mountains for that matter, wouldn't fare much, if any, (possibly worse) better a good cup of "traditional" coffee.
There is so much going on in the mind that skews our mental taste buds. This has been proven extensively in wine tastings (you've seen 'em on TV) where the $4 bottle out scores the $30 bottle. But once the tasters see they chose the cheaper instead of the more expensive they often start back-peddaling and saying, "Erm, hmmm, well now that I think of it that wine is so much nicer . . ."
I've got a friend who is a hair dresser who makes crazy money because he's got the cojones to charge $150 more than the competition for the same work. He'll tell you he's good at what he does but that the thing he does best is listen to his customers' (he only has women clients) trials and tribulations, sympathize with them, and tell them they're the best, everything is going to be great, and I'll see you in two weeks. Hey, he's cheaper than a psychiatrist and probably does as good or better work (no offense to any psychiatrists out there).
He's got a waiting list!
He only works three days a week!
For you coffee shop owners out there I suggest you have a limited edition coffee pot available for your customers. Charge $2 more per cup. Write up a little history card about the coffee. Have your baristas talk it up. I've got a feeling you'll sell more than your 'everyday' coffee. Make sure it is good coffee, Gold Cup stuff, and change it regularly. That way people will start looking forward to your next 'Limited Harvest' coffee and will line up to buy it.
By the way, that's not an original idea. A coffee shop I used to frequent in New Hampshire did that and I certainly fell, willingly, into the 'trap'. I couldn't wait to pay more, a lot more, for the next lot of small batch coffee. I was in an exclusive club. Cups of the coffee were $1.5 more. 1lb bags of the coffee were about $5 more. They sold out so fast it would make your head spin.
Try it for a week or two. You'll be amazed.
this is amazing!
