Mr Black, the Australian cold-press coffee liqueur, has today become the first drink to insist prospective buyers sit an extensive written examination of their coffee knowledge – before even having the opportunity to purchase a bottle of their special edition ‘Panama Geisha’. Made using the world’s most expensive and rare Panama Geisha coffee, the £115 a bottle liqueur – which is one of only six available in the world – is only being made available to consumers discerning enough to appreciate the delicate flavour of the unique liquid inside.

Working in partnership with specialist coffee magazine ‘Caffeine’, the exam paper has been set by industry experts and features set of eight multiple choice and essay style questions on the origin and grading of specialty coffee, as well as taste and the science behind the brewing process. Located on page 18 of the December edition of the magazine, once filled out potential customers have 30 days to post their completed exam paper to the official invigilators who will assess all entries and pick the most appropriate candidate – who will be contacted and offered the opportunity to purchase a bottle.

What’s more, due to the extreme rarity of the current crop of Panama Geisha, the raw coffee is currently available for around £200 a kilogram - making the Mr Black offering a serious collector’s item that is only set to increase in value as stocks of Geisha deplete.

Tom Baker, Director of Mr Black, says: “Having spent the best part of a year working to craft and nurture our incredibly small supply of special edition farm-to-glass Panama Geisha coffee into existence, we were a little worried that some of the UK’s hard-core coffee fans were going to miss out.”

Scott Bentley, Founder, Caffeine magazine says: “It really is a once-in-a-lifetime product, using the prized Camilina Geisha from Auromar Estate – which was this year awarded the Best Natural Panama Geisha in the world.

With only six bottles remaining in the world, we have been working closely with the team at Mr Black to design and define a set of questions that will help us to find a likeminded coffee fanatic and give them the chance to share this exquisite liquid with". 

Mr Black was created by Tom Baker and Philip Moore who, quite simply, wanted to give the world a new excuse - and a new way - to drink coffee. Brought together by their love of bitter, black beverages, Tom and Philip shared an ambition to create a world-class bottle of boozy, steel-cut, caffeinated perfection. Mr Black is now considered one of the leading producers of coffee liqueur and is internationally recognised by coffee and spirit experts around the world. 

If you would like to take the test, to be in with a chance of buying a bottle of Mr Black Panama Geisha, pick up a copy of Caffeine magazine from a range of select nationwide stockist – details for which can be found here www.caffeinemag.com/pages/stockists.

All completed exam papers to be sent directly to Mr Black, Suite G0121, 265-269 Kingston Road, London, SW19 3NW no later than 12.00 on the 11th December 2016.

Alternatively, you can also take the test online at  http://mrblack.co/geisha/