Toronto – Qahwa World
A new café in Toronto’s Midtown is challenging traditional ideas of a coffee break by offering one of the city’s most expensive cups of coffee — alongside yoga sessions, sound therapy, and wellness treatments.
Denovia, a recently opened wellness-focused café, is serving a Panamanian Elida Geisha hand brew priced at $99 per cup. The coffee is produced in extremely limited quantities, with only 50 cups available per supply, positioning it among the most exclusive specialty coffees currently offered in Toronto.
The café’s founder, Nick Wang, describes Denovia as a hybrid space combining specialty coffee with wellness practices. While the ground floor operates as a café serving both rare beans and familiar drinks such as cappuccinos and cold brews, the upper levels are dedicated to wellness services. These include yoga, aromatherapy, sound therapy, sports recovery treatments, and IV drips.
Wang said the concept was shaped by growing post-pandemic stress levels and personal exposure to wellness practices, noting that the space is intended to encourage calm, reflection, and slower consumption rather than rushed routines.
At the center of Denovia’s premium coffee offering is the Elida Geisha, a varietal originally traced to Ethiopia and later refined in Panama. The coffee is widely known for its floral and fruit-forward characteristics, often associated with notes such as jasmine, bergamot, stone fruit, and tea-like sweetness. Its profile contrasts sharply with the heavier, chocolate-driven flavors found in more conventional coffees.
Geisha coffee is also known for its demanding cultivation requirements. It is typically grown at elevations between 1,500 and 2,000 meters, in volcanic soil and highly specific microclimates that include cool temperatures, mist, and stable weather conditions. These constraints significantly limit supply.
According to Wang, beans from the Elida estate have achieved prices of approximately $1,029 per pound at international Best of Panama auctions, attracting buyers from the global specialty coffee market.
Beyond rarity and price, Wang emphasized the experience itself. He said the Geisha is meant to be enjoyed slowly, comparing it to tea culture rather than fast-paced coffee consumption. In his view, the drink is intended to encourage relaxation and creative thinking rather than speed.
While the $99 Geisha attracts the most attention, Denovia’s menu includes other specialty offerings at lower price points. Hand brews and pour-overs sourced from Ethiopia and Colombia begin at $28, including the ALO 74158. Another Geisha option, the Luna Geisha, is priced at $35. Standard menu items such as americanos and matcha lattes start at $6.
Denovia barista Alex Pinzon, who has eight years of experience in the coffee industry, said customers often question the pricing of high-end specialty coffees. He explained that these coffees undergo more careful processing and preparation, resulting in flavor profiles that surprise many first-time drinkers.
Pinzon noted that customers frequently assume fruit has been added to the coffee, only to learn that the flavors come naturally from the beans themselves.
Among the café’s other specialty drinks are the El Pariso Peach hand-brew latte, described as having a tea-like, peach-forward character, and the TOR8NTO — a sparkling coffee mocktail featuring lychee and strawberry notes.
Denovia is currently operating in a soft-opening phase, with its official grand opening scheduled for January 2026.
