Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Cat pooh coffee - Kopi Luwak

Kopi Luwak or Civet coffee is a rare type of coffee made from the droppings of the civet cat. Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee and Luwak is a local name of the Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) cat.


How is Kopi Luwak produced?

1) The Civet cats eat the red berries on a coffee tree.


2) Enzymes in the cats' stomach break down the proteins, that give coffee its bitter taste, and enhance its flavour.

3) The inner bean of the berry is not digested and comes back out as part of cat pooh.


4) Workers separate the greenish-brown beans from the rest of the pooh.

5) A thin outer layer of the beans is removed.


6) The beans are roasted to produce coffee.



A pound of their droppings yields less than 5 ounces of beans. Roasting reduces the quantity by an additional 20%. With just 500 to 1,000 pounds of the real thing coming on the global market each year. As a result, Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world, selling for up to $600 USD per pound, and is sold mainly in Japan and United States.

The British royal family is said to enjoy drinking this coffee. A single cup can sell for US $30 at a five-star hotel in Hong Kong.

I've never tasted this coffee since it is so expensive.
After knowing how it is made, I am not so sure whether I want to try it or not....

I've found a company "Coffee Break Gourmet" (based in Ottawa) that sells this coffee. It is selling 1/2 pound for $96.

Would you like to try cat pooh coffee??


Source:
Reuters <- This site has video.
Los Angeles Times

4 comments:

Unknown said...

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www.realkopiluwak.com
If you have more questions or just want to try it drop me a line to:
info@realkopiluwak.com
Thanks and see you there!
Alberto Taphanel

real kopi luwak said...

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Unknown said...

I tried the famous Weasel Kopi Luwak and I could notice sweetness. coffee was also really smooth. Whole beans should be fresh. Because of the production method Luwak should have a balanced diet. Health (eg stress levels) may also influence the processing and hence taste. I bought my Kopi Luwak from this sourced right now the most trusted company in Europe will be looking for another, because I would like try this Kopi Luwak from Bali.
I've had mine kopi luwak from this source
http://weaselcoffee.co.uk/

Unknown said...

If you grind your own coffee, be sure to only grind the amount you will be using that day. If you grind too much and just leave your coffee around, the elements will take the freshness and taste of it. Contrary to what many believe, storing coffee in the refrigerator does not leave it fresh.

Kopi Luwak