KOPI LUWAK VERY RARE COFF

Kopi (coffee) Luwak ~ The rarest most expensive coffee in the world
by By Bridget Davis

Many people have unintentionally  been introduced to Kopi luwak by Jack Nicholson. Not so much personally but by way of the movie The Bucket List where Jack Nicholson’s character is an eccentric millionaire, living out the last days of his life and doing all the things on his “to do list” before he ‘kicks the bucket’. Jack’s cantankerous character carries with him a gold thermos from which he pours Kopi Luwak ~ the most expensive coffee in the world and sips at his leisure to satisfy his caffeine cravings.

I had to wonder, what does the most expensive coffee in the world taste like? and what’s the hype that surrounds this famed brew? Curiosity killed the cat and in this case the cat then pooped the coffee beans.

Kopi or coffee luwak attributes its superior smoothness and taste to what happens in the Indonesian jungles. The cat sized nocturnal animal, the Asian Civet , is a lover of fine sweet coffee cherries. Using its highly attuned nose, it sniffs out and then eats only the sweetest coffee cherries straight from the tree. As the coffee beans are passing through its digestive tract the combination of enzymes naturally occurring in its gut help to break down the bitter proteins in the bean. The beans remain in tact whilst on its digestive journey and even begins a slight fermentation or malting process that helps to mellow out and achieve Kopi luwak’s distinct smooth and syrupy texture.

The Civet is a ‘territorial shitter’ (never thought I’d have the need to write that in an article)  which poops in clumps making bean collection for coffee farmers easier to manage.  The poop is then picked up, thoroughly and might I add meticulously cleaned, before being air dried and ready for sale. And sell it does! For anywhere between US $200-$1,200 a kilo. The worlds rarest and most expensive coffee.  A cup of Luwak coffee in USA or Australia varies a great deal ( $9 – $79) in the select few number coffee shops that actually serve it.