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Kopi Luwak
The rarest and maybe the most expensive beverage in the world, Civet coffee, or locally named Kopi Luwak, is coffee made from superior quality organically grown Arabica coffee berries which have been eaten by the Asian Palm Civet, a cat-sized nocturnal omnivore called Paradoxurus hermaphroditus, native to Southeast Asia, South India and southern China. It may also be known as the Common Palm Civet, Toddy Cat, Motit, Marapatti, Uguduwa, or Maranai from the monkey family.
This furry animal feeds on the raw, red Arabica coffee berries, on the islands of Kintamani, Bangli, and Bali, in Indonesia. In its stomach, endogenous digestive secretions that carry proteolytic enzymes seep into the beans, break down the beans proteins, yielding shorter peptides and more free amino acids. Since the flavor of coffee owes much to its proteins, there is a hypothesis that this shift in the numbers and kinds of proteins in beans after being swallowed by Civets brings forth their unique flavor. The proteins are also involved in non-enzymatic Maillard browning reactions brought about later by roasting. Moreover, while inside a Civet the beans begin to germinate by malting which also lowers their bitterness.
After spending about a day and a half in the civet's digestive tract the beans are then defecated in clumps, having kept their shape and still covered with some of the fleshy berries inner layers. The beans are then handcollected, extensively washed in springwater, sterilized, and sundried, before they are lightly roasted, so as to keep the many intertwined flavors and lack of bitterness yielded. After brewing, the resulting coffee is said to be like no other, and yields an highly aromatic scent and heavy flavour with much less bitternes, with hints of caramel or chocolate. Kopi Luwak is widely noted as the most expensive coffee in the world.
Palm Civets are primarily frugivorous, feeding on berries and pulpy fruits such as from fig trees and palms. Civets also eat small vertebrates, insects, ripe fruits and seeds. When coffee plantations are put into Civet habitats, the Civets forage on only the ripest and sweetest berries. Hence, farmers would often find their best coffee berries missing in the morning after Civets had been feeding, and they were seen as pests. Meanwhile farmers hoping to save their crop, gathered the Civet droppings and found these beans, which were darkened and more brittle, yielded a coffee with unusual taste and lack of bitterness. Early production of Kopi Luwak began when beans were gathered in the wild from where a civet would defecate as a means to mark its territory.
Striving for the best quality of Luwak Coffee, our producers in Bali provide a hygienic and healthy environment for the wild Civets, and routinely maintain a balanced diet and medical check-up to ensure these *producers* are in top health. On the farms, the Civets are sometimes caged, but mostly they are allowed to roam within defined boundaries. The animals are fed only the best quality, organically grown fresh Arabica coffee fruits, in certified organic plantations. This is a very small industry and everything is done entirely by hand.
Kopi Luwak is selling for between US $100 and $600 per pound. It is sold by weight mainly in Japan and the United States and served in Southeast Asian coffeehouses by the cup. In November 2006 Herveys Range Heritage Tea Rooms, a small cafe in the hills outside Townsville in Queensland, Australia, put Kopi Luwak on its menu at AUD 50 (US $33) a cup, selling about seven cups a week, which gained nationwide Australian and international press.
We are proud to be supplying this 100% pure, unadulterated genuine product directly from the farm in Bali, Indonesia. Offering the whole roasted beans, and decorative oval boxes containing 200 grams finely ground roasted Kopi Luwak.
Store your coffee in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. If you plan to not use your coffee beans within a week, or ground coffee within a few days, then store your coffee in the refrigerator (not a freezer!). For the best taste result, invest in a coffee grinder! Always grind the right portion of coffee beans upon brewing. Do not grind more that what you are going to use at the time, because coffee grounds lose their aroma very quickly.
To prepare the coffee, any regular coffee machine can be used. For most coffee lovers, the taste is not comparable with other coffees. Not a single hint of bitterness with a delicious sweet taste. The result may vary depending on the type of espresso machine or drip coffee maker that you are using and the water temperature.
The most simple and effective way to prepare Kopi Luwak and get the best aroma, is adding 1 full teaspoon (approximately 3 gram) to a cup, and pouring boiling water on it. Add sugar, stir, and allow the brew to settle for a minute or two. Refrain from further stirring, leaving the residue in the cup while drinking. For best taste, drink the coffee hot.