Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Civet Poop Coffee: Good to the Last Dropping

In today’s Melbourne Age there is a story by Shelley Markham entitled, Australia’s Most Expensive Cup of Coffee? It is about the import to Australia of the rare and expensive Kopi Luwak coffee, produced in Indonesia from coffee beans that are eaten and discharged by the civet, or in Indonesian, Kopi Bubuk.

You might like to read the story I wrote last year about this coffee, entitled Crap Coffee. There are some good applications to this story.

Since writing this article I have visited Indonesia on two occasions. During my visit I was asked if I would like a drink and I jokingly said, “Yes, I’d like some civet coffee.” I was amazed when they poured out a cup of Kopi Luwak and then, after I said how delightful it was, they presented me with two packets of the prize coffee to bring home!

It is earthy, somewhat nutty, a little bitter and with a beautiful bouquet. But, it’s not worth AUS $50.00 a cup at the Townsville café, but why not go for the experience?

A grocery store in Edmonton, Canada is advertising this as coffee made from cat’s feces! [faeces in the UK] Doesn’t that sound attractive? The advertising says it is “Good to the last dropping.”

By the way when you are in Vietnam it is called ‘weasel coffee’ but it is still derived from the civet.

Geoff Pound

Image: Packet of Kopi Luwak with the picture of the Kopi Bubak at the top.