Would you be tempted to try out a cup of coffee whose beans came out with a civet cat’s dung? For many coffee lovers, the answer is absolutely, positively yes! For most people however, just the word dung is more than enough to put them off this product. But civet coffee fans say that you only have to taste it once to be converted.
Civet coffee is one of the world’s rarest and most expensive coffees, and it is made in Southeast Asia and some parts of China. It is known by many names, such as kopi luwak in Indonesia, and kape alamid in the Philippines. The name civet coffee comes from the fact that the beans are taken from the dung of a member of the mongoose family called the civet cat, also known as the Asian Palm Civet. The civet cats eat the choicest coffee berries, and the beans are partially digested in their stomachs before being excreted whole into the ground. Coffee farmers then look for the areas in the farm or forest that the civet cat chooses to use as their litter box, and collects the poop covered beans. These expelled beans are then subjected to a good cleaning, and are sun-dried. This process is said to get rid of any germs on the coffee beans.
Typically, civet coffee is a mix of several coffee varieties, such as Liberica, Exelsa, Robusta and Arabica beans that the animal consumed. Each coffee variety adds a different flavor that is heightened by the enzymes in the civet cat’s stomach. Those who have tasted this coffee have praised it as smooth, sweet, slightly dark and chocolatey, with a distinct aroma. It is said to lack the typical bitterness of other coffees.
Civet coffee is harvested by hand, and taken from feces found in the wild, so only about 2000 kilos are made annually. Apparently, some efforts were made to breed the civet cats in a farm setting, but they did not produce as much, making the plan non-viable. This means the supply will subsist at a minimum, and guarantee that the price will always be high.
You can find civet coffee enthusiasts around the world, from the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. Prices for this exotic food item can go as expensive as 100 dollars for 100 grams, or about $30 per cup, mostly due to restricted and labor intensive production. If you are interested in trying out some civet coffee, you can find both ground or whole roasted beans in specialty cafes, in some Asian markets, or in online stores. But beware, there are many counterfeit or adulterated civet coffee beans in the market today, so make sure to shop around for a reputable store before making a purchase.