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Kopi Luwak is a coffee that is known for its price among coffee enthusiasts. You may have already heard about Kopi Luwak but have you ever wondered why is it so expensive or how it is made? In this article, we will try to cover everything you need to know about Kopi Luwak. Keep reading to learn what Kopi Luwak coffee is and whether you should drink it or not.
What Is Kopi Luwak Coffee?
Kopi Luwak is an Indonesian coffee that is digested by an animal called Asian palm civet that lives in the forest of Bali. This animal similar to a cat eats ripe coffee cherries and extracts them. These extracted coffee beans are gathered, cleaned, and roasted. The final product? Kopi Luwak. It is also called civet cat coffee or cats poop coffee.
History Of The Kopi Luwak Coffee
Kopi Luwak’s history dates back to the 1700s when the Dutch set up coffee plantations in Java and Sumatra. According to the legend, seeing that wild animals were eating the ripe coffee cherries and extracting them, locals decided to collect them and start brewing. They were using this civet cat coffee because they were prohibited from harvesting coffee beans for themselves.
In the 1990s, Kopi Luwak started showing up on the gourmet coffee scene in America thanks to Anthony Wild. He wrote a famous book about coffee called “Coffee: A Dark History” and after this book, Kopi Luwak started to gain popularity.
How Is Kopi Luwak Made?
- Growing CoffeeFarmers located in Indonesia grow Arabica coffee plants.
- Civet CatsPalm civet cats that live in Indonesia, also known as luwaks, eat the ripe coffee cherries. While some of them can be wild, most of them are caged.
- DigestionThe digestive enzymes of civet’s partially digest the coffee cherries and remove the chaff and flesh. The final product is lightly fermented coffee beans.
- ProcessingAfter digestion, workers separate the coffee beans from the civet’s poop and wash, dry, and roast these pooped coffee beans.
- Kopi LuwakThese roasted coffee beans are then packaged and sold. They are known for their smooth and distinctive flavor.
What’s The Kopi Luwak Price?
Since we stated that it is the most expensive coffee in the world, you may be wondering how much it is. A cup of Kopi Luwak coffee usually costs between $35 and $100 while the per-pound price can range from $100 to $600.
What Does Kopi Luwak Taste Like?
You might expect that coffee this expensive should taste extraordinary. However, it is not the best coffee in the world. It has a nutty, earthy, and smooth taste, and most of its bitterness is lost during the process.
Why Should You Drink Kopi Luwak Coffee?
Although it is the most expensive coffee, some of you might want to try Kopi Luwak. But is it good in the long term? Let’s find out.
It may sound gross, but this cat poop coffee is very good because these animals only eat the best and ripest cherries. So you don’t end up with bad quality beans. What’s more, the enzymes in the civet’s digestive system change the bean’s structure and produce a smoother coffee. But how do they do that?
The eaten coffee cherry passes through the civet’s stomach in which it gets fully stripped of its fruity exterior. It is a very thorough process that makes beans ready for drying and roasting. Stripping the fruit part of the bean ensures that there won’t be any mold so it produces a smoother cup of coffee.
Why Shouldn’t You Drink Kopi Luwak Coffee?
The problem starts when you think about the production process of the Kopi Luwak coffee. As you can understand, this coffee requires finding free-range Kopi Luwak which is a very hard thing to do.
As a result, producers of this coffee remove civets from the wild and keep them in tiny cages to produce civet coffee. According to researchers, this caging process fails to meet animal welfare standards. Civets are shy and nocturnal animals that need to be taken care of in good areas. They may also be force-fed the cherries to produce more Kopi Luwak coffee that might lead to malnutrition and other health issues.
FAQ
Is Kopi Luwak Coffee Clean And Safe To Drink?
Yes, the beans are completely cleaned and then roasted at a high temperature exceeding 400 Fahrenheit. So you can safely drink Kopi Luwak.
Is Kopi Luwak The Best Coffee In The World?
Although it is the most expensive coffee in the world, it is not the best coffee in the world. So if you are looking for the best coffee, you don’t have to buy Kopi Luwak.
Why Is It So Expensive?
It is very expensive because it is very unusual and high in demand. What’s more, it is processed specifically which makes it low in quantity and very expensive.
Wrapping Up
In this article, we tried to give you everything you need to know about this coffee bean pooped by animal. This coffee called Kopi Luwak may be the most expensive coffee bean in the world yet it has some advantages and disadvantages that you should consider. If you have some questions or suggestions, let us know in the comments section!
My world consists of guitar, music, and coffee. I spent years preparing coffees at home and learning more about coffee. As a result of this, I have learned so much about coffee, and in Coffee Magazine, I try my best to share my knowledge about coffee and its culture. Click here for detailed information about me.