The Straight Poop on Kopi Luwak Coffee

[katrina]

The Straight Poop on Kopi Luwak Coffee
Posted by Jon under Food , Coffee

All about this infamous coffee and the cat-like creature that makes it possible.

Years ago I heard a rumor of a rare coffee that was collected from the droppings of a wild animal. For quite a while, having nothing to substantiate this I had dismissed this as either an urban legend, or something so rare I was unlikely to ever have access to it.

Well thanks to the coffee explosion this rare and unusual blend is readily available, though still very expensive. My interest in this was rekindled when I noticed Armeno Coffee Roasters, my favorite source for fine coffee is now carrying Kopi Luwak Coffee.

So what exactly is it? The Indonesian word “kopi” translates directly to coffee. The word Luwak refers to a small wild animal native to Indonesia and Vietnam.

So you know what coffee is… what’s this luwak critter? Known as the luwak, luak, musang, toddy cat, civet, palm civet and civet-cat, many people believe it is a wild cat. While it is a mammal it is actually a cousin of the mongoose. Probably it’s closest North American counterpart is the skunk with which it shares the ability to excrete a noxious odor from scent glands near it’s anus. Blueplanetbiomes.com has some wonderful information on this animal.

The animal can range from four to eleven pounds and is largely nocturnal. While it is an omnivore, the luwak is particularly fond of perfectly ripe coffee cherries. Thanks to coffee farmers, the luwak has no troubles finding plenty of coffee.

Once eaten, the coffee cherries take the normal route through the animal’s digestive path. The amazing thing is while the fruit of the coffee is being digested, the bean is left largely unchanged, eventually passing in the animals droppings.

The droppings and their caffeine-laden content are collected by farmers. The coffee is then cleaned and the green, un-roasted bean shipped to roasters.

Why would you want to drink this shitty coffee? There are a lot of theories on why kopi luwak is different. Research has determined that coffee passed by a luwak has been changed chemically. Specifically the process seems to break down some of the bean’s proteins which are known to contribute to the bitterness of coffee.

So research from the University of Guelph in Canada, reported here, and further detailed in this article confirms the coffee’s chemical makeup is altered by it’s special little journey, I think it also important to consider the luwak’s own affinity for fine coffee.

When coffee, like other fruit, is harvested, not all the fruit will be perfectly ripe. Since the majority is ripe and it is to be combined for use, the end product comes out well; however, if you have an animal which naturally selecting only the ripest fruit you will end up with a product of unparalleled quality.

Is it safe? While many are understandably skeptical of eating anything that has already been through the gastro-intestinal track of another, research shows that due to the thorough washing, the luwak coffee may even have a lower bacteria level than other coffees. Certainly whatever the washing process misses the roasting process will make up for.

While I cannot say I have tried this rarest of all coffees, it is on my to-do list. Thankfully Armeno Coffee Roasters offers it in a four ounce sampler for a mere $30. Expect a detailed report here once the taste test is in.

tags: dining, food, kopi, kopi luak, kopi luwak, luak, luwak, coffee

[Mike]

Would take lots of Tangle Ridge for me to drink this stuff.

I can just picture somebody picking beans out of catshit.

[katrina]

Mike, I don't think I could even drink enough.... No thank you,,,, but did think it was kinda interesting, coarse it may just be as crude as eating mountain oysters.................Naw the coffee is way more disgusting.

[Mike]

[katrina]

So Mike, Does your hair hurt today???? I think I've got Manitoba_Rancher syndrome. I smacked a deer with the catty last night. Kinda ruined the evening for me. But everyone one else sure was having a great time.
And Soapweed I did take a shower and put on clean clothes.

[Mike]

[katrina]

WHAT!!!! You wear clothes down there???? I'm just trying to break this bad carma......

[Juan]

[Mike]

[Cal]

Reading about your skunk dropping coffee made me wonder if anyone else watched "Going Tribal" the other night, was on either Discover or TLC. This guy stayed a month each with 4 different indigenous tribes. In one place they kept a pig under the floor of their bamboo "toilet" to eat the human waste, and then they finally butchered the pig...kinda gross. But when the host let another tribe try to "invert" his, well...you get the idea... to comply with tribal tradition, we figured he must have brain damage. After he nearly passed out from the pain, we figured he must have incurred other damage as well.

[the_jersey_lilly_2000]

Oh man, I really needed to read this while sittin here drinkin coffee.......
I've watched goin tribal.....the one where the man went and lived with canibels......several times he thought they were gonna eat him, or do him bodily harm with all the "traditional piercings" and such.....

[Oldtimer]

They had a show on the history channel last night about coffee- brought up the cat poop coffee along with many other types available for "connosewers" of fine coffee--Said kopi coffee sells for $300 pound...

Didn't mention anything about good cowboy or jailhouse coffee with eggshells in the pot........