Coffee aficionados in Toronto are prepared to pay a lot of money for an exotic roast — in some cases more than 10 times what it might cost at the local Tim Hortons.

Matthew Lee, the owner of Manic Coffee, a bustling high-end café on trendy College Street West, brews Esmerelda Especial and sells it for $15 per cup.

Lee, who sold 30 cups of the coffee in less than three hours on Saturday, said Torontonians are developing a sophisticated palate when it comes to coffee.

"The city is willing to pay for it, but it's not just about the price of the coffee, it's about the actual taste and the quality of coffee. And for everybody who's had a cup, they've recognized that it is so phenomenally better than anything else," he said.

Coffee lovers describe the Panamanian-grown beans as "intense." Coffeereview.com says it is one of the rarest and most exotic coffees in the world, with a "high-toned, intense aroma with striking lemon, chocolate and menthol notes and a hint of flowers. In the cup softly and sweetly acidy with a lovely balance and distinct bittersweet chocolate and lemon notes. Superb finish: rich, crisp, saturated with a dry chocolate." Esmerelda Especial sells for $50 per pound.

But Esmerelda Especial isn't the only high-priced coffee in town.

For the past year, Pusateri's grocery store has been selling Kopi Luwak coffee.

The beans come from an unusual source: they are eaten and then excreted by a small cat-like creature called a civet, then cleaned and roasted.

Pusateri manager John Mastroianni said customers were a bit skeptical at first. "Initially, everyone just looks at it and says, 'You've got to be kidding! People actually drink this?'" 

Now, he said, customers are snapping up the beans. Four ounces of Kopi Luwak (115 g) sells for $120.

At Manic Coffee, Lee is mulling over which brew he'll introduce to his customers in the coming weeks and months. He's confident they're ready for the new taste and the new price tag.