Kopi Luwak Coffee

Kopi Luwak (Indonesian) — is a sort of Arabica coffee species, which is known for its specific process of production. This coffee is produced commercially in Indonesia, Philippines (where it is also called kape alamid), in Vietnam, and in Southern India.

According to some rough estimation, no more than 300 kilograms of Kopi Luwak coffee is produced in the whole world, and its wholesale price for one kilogram starts from 500 British pounds.

The process of production of the Kopi Luwak beans consists in the Asian Palm Civets’ (an animal of the Viverridae family) eating the ripe fruit of the coffee tree (coffee berries), digesting the fleshy pulp that surrounds coffee beans and excreting them in the process of defecation to be picked up by men, washed and dried in the sun.

Now, what is so special about this beverage, apart from its fabulous price? Researches of the Luwak coffee beans, carried out by the specialists from the University of Guelph, Canada, showed that they contain less protein and have low bacterial background. Kopi Luwak’s special taste is also explained by the peculiar properties of the palm civet’s stomach acids that include civetone. This could be one reason why Kopi Luwak’s taste is not so bitter and its aroma is more pleasant.

History keeps silent on who first had the idea of brewing a cup of Luwak coffee, or how the thought came to their mind to use excrements of these animals. According to the most common theory, people who were picking coffee grains realized that it was easier to pick the grains contained in luwak’s droppings (civet’s feces) in the forests of Indonesia, Philippines, Vietnam, and in Southern India, than to pick these berries from the plants.

At present, this brand of coffee is often produced on the industrial level at the special animal farms. The animals on those farms are kept in cages and are void of the opportunity to move freely in the coffee trees’ branches searching for the best coffee berries. Obviously, in captivity civets cannot choose the ripest berries and are forced to eat what they are fed. Naturally enough, civets’ food diet in the farming conditions differs from their usual diet, which is reflected in the beverage’s taste. Besides, artificial methods of coffee aromatization using civetone have been developed.

Enjoy Your Coffee!