Would you be enticed into trying out a cup of coffee whose beans came out with a civet cat’s manure? If you are a coffee lover, then it is likely that your answer to that question is yes. For less adventurous people however, the mere thought of consuming anything that came in contact with manure is a turn-off. But civet coffee devotees say that you only have to drink 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. You may know it by another name, such as kopi luwak in Indonesia, and kape alamid in the Philippines. the name civet coffee comes from the fact that the beans are harvested from the dung of a member of the mongoose family called the civet cat, also known as the Asian Palm Civet. the civet cats polish off the choicest coffee berries, and the beans are partially digested in their stomachs before being excreted whole into the ground. Coffee farmers then search for the areas in the farm or forest that the civet cat chooses to use as their litter box, and collects the dung covered beans. These expelled beans are then subjected to a good cleaning, and are sun-dried. Afterward, they are roasted to perfection.
It is not unusual to find a combination of Liberica, Exelsa, Robusta and Arabica coffee varieties making up each batch of civet coffee, depending on what the animal ate. 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 described it as smooth, sweet, slightly dark and chocolatey, with a lovely aroma. It is said to lack the expected bitterness of other coffees.
Civet coffee is collected by hand, and taken from feces found in the wild, so only about 2000 kilos are made annually. there are some tales of civet cat farms that purposely offer the animals the coffee beans, but allegedly these animals produce less under duress. Thus, the supply will always remain low.
Civet coffee has found a devoted following among coffee lovers in the United States, United Kingdom, Japan, and other parts of the world. Prices for this bizarre food item can go as high as 100 dollars for 100 grams, or about $30 per cup, mostly due to minimal and labor intensive production. You can purchase both ground or whole roasted beans in gourmet cafes, in some Asian markets, or in online stores. However, the greater demand and short supply of this hard to find food item has also led to an increase in imitation or adulterated civet coffee beans in the market today, so buyer beware!
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