Coffee aficionados lapping up luxury brews at up to $8 a cup

Despite household budgets tightening, Australians are clinging to their caffeine fix, forking out more for boutique and unusual coffee blends.

Experts claim Australian consumers are fickle enough not be dissuaded by premium prices – and the proof, it seems, is in the coffee pot.

It comes as one of the world's most exclusive coffees – Panama Geisha by DiBella – hits Australian shelves, retailing at about $8 a cup.

The coffee claims to be grown and hand-selected from the highest altitude possible in the island nation of Panama.

Food retail and shopping behaviour expert Dr Gary Mortimer has predicted buyers won’t be dissuaded by the Geisha’s hefty price tag.

“It’s a little luxury we can still afford,” he said.

“Shoppers and consumers are still willing to spend a little bit more on a nice cup of coffee.”

Australia's coffee industry employs 70,000 people and is worth $5 billion.

Estimates place industry growth at round seven percent a year.