Luwak Coffee, A very unique brew

Did you know that Bali is one of the producers of the most expensive coffee in the world? This Luwak Coffee is a very unique brew. Roasted from beans that have been through the digestive system of a civet, a cat-like, mostly nocturnal mammal.  The civet eats the coffee berries for their fleshy pulp, but the beans are left intact all the way through the digestive system.  The enzymes inside the civet’s stomach extract the bitterness from the coffee, making Luwak coffee smooth and mild with a sweet aftertaste.  Originally Kopi Luwak was made from beans found in faeces from civets living in the wild, making the collection process quite time consuming, which explains why prices can get close to $1000 for a kilo of Kopi Luwak.  Now a lot of Kopi Luwak comes from civets in captivity, which raises some ethical issues and doesn’t necessarily taste as good as Kopi Luwak from civets living in the wild.  Wild civets apparently are quite choosy animals when it comes to coffee and only eat the best berries, which guarantee quality beans. Recently researchers have suggested the beans are slightly digested during their passage, to the extent that an enzyme process has broken down some of the proteins allowing them to leach out, resulting in a less bitter coffee. Speculation is also that lactic acid fermentations may be a factor; however any attempts trying to mimic the process have so far failed.

Another thing about the taste of this Luwak coffee is that no two cups will taste exactly the same.  Since the coffee beans go through a different cat’s digestive system, the tastes will vary.  Since every cat/civet is different, its overall diet and even personal health is also different.  These factors all can change the end taste of the defecated coffee beans.

Many people believe that this coffee is only sold and drank for its unique story (cat eating and pooping coffee beans), not the overall taste and superior quality, but a novelty coffee that people like to buy and drink because it’s so unique.

If you are wondering what this ‘cat’ is, or curious about the cat responsible for producing the rarest most expensive coffee in the world then here’s some information about the Indonesian jungle cat, properly known as the Asian Palm Civet.  The Asian Palm Civet is a member of the Viverridae family which can be found in Southeast Asia, most notably Indonesia. The Asian Palm Civet is a small; cat sized grey and black viverrid that has a long tail.  It essentially resembles a raccoon and cat hybrid.  The civets feed on fruits, mangoes, insects and most popularly, coffee berries. This is some very interesting coffee.

Have you tasted this Luwak coffee, or would you?

*We tasted Luwak coffee and the other interesting coffees and teas when we went beyond beer and beaches in Bali. All opinions are our own and we were not financially compensated for this post.

What are you waiting for? Share this post or leave a comment below. If you like this post and want to read more like this why not subscribe to our Newsletter? We won’t spam you or share your personal details. If you’re not doing so already, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or click the Mix, Flipboard or other social media buttons below to share this post with others who might enjoy reading it