Coffee from beans pooped out of an animal

Beans harvested from Civet Poop

Would you drink coffee made from beans pooped out of an animal that looks a little like a house cat? Sure you would. I did and I don’t even like coffee – because when in Bali you try some strange things.

The woman roasting the beans

I learned about Luwak coffee while in the taxi on my way to the airport when leaving Bali. It sounded repulsive when I read about how the beans were picked out of the poop of a civet cat, but yet I was intrigued. Did it taste like normal coffee? Why would people even think of brewing coffee made from these beans that went through the cat’s digestive system? And was it really so good to warrant being the most expensive coffee in the world?

A coffee and tea tasting

Whether it’s myth or reality, my taxi driver told me the reason the coffee is supposedly so wonderful is because the civet only eats the best beans. And then when they are digested, formation occurs along the digestive tract producing more amino acids. I know. It still sounds disgusting.

But when he said we had time to drop into a place where they served it, I agreed.  I mean, this was something I wasn't going to get back home.

However, I learned afterward there is the whole “humane” thing that goes along with the process. Just like goose pate is banned in some places because of the force feeding of the goose, the civet coffee beans also went through a lot of backlash. Apparently, some farmers were caging the little guys and force feeding them the beans to make them poop more. In addition to being mean to the little animal, the pooped beans are less flavorful as the civet didn’t get to pick the “best” beans like it would have in the wild.

So if you do want to try this coffee, look for “wild” luwak coffee.

My cup of Luwak coffee

As I mentioned, this coffee is the most expensive in the world with retail prices reaching $700 per kilogram for the real stuff from the wild.

So how does it taste? Like coffee – but smoother.