Kopi luwak is a type of coffee that is harvested from the feces of the Asian Palm Civet. These special beans have been eaten and then partially digested by the animal before harvesting. One of the most expensive coffee’s in the world, Kopi Luwak has been around since the 19th century and is harvested by farmers in Java.
While most people assume the Asian Palm Civet is a monkey, it is technically a different animal altogether. Continue reading on to learn more about the Civet, how Kopi Luwak coffee is made, and why you probably should not spring for a cup of this lavish coffee just yet.
What is an Asian Palm Civet?
Commonly mistaken for a monkey, the palm civet is a small feline-like creature found in South and Southeast Asia. Their body is coated with grey, coarse, shaggy hair. A white mask covers the cats’ brow, there is a little white patch under the eyes, a white spot on the side of its nose, and a short black line between the eyes. The head, ears, lower legs, and lower part of the tail are all black, while the body has three rows of black patterns. Unlike other civet species, the tail lacks rings.
Where Can I Find an Asian Palm Civet?
Asian palm civets are endemic to countries such as India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Singapore, Peninsular Malaysia, Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei Darussalam, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, China, the Philippines, and Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Bawean, and Indonesia.
These animals are most commonly found in primary and secondary forests, seasonally flooded swamp forests, mangroves, oil palm, and teak plantations. They can also be found in parks and suburban gardens with fruit trees, fig-trees, and unbroken greenery.
The Asian Palm Civet’s Lifestyle
Except for brief intervals during mating, Asian palm civets live alone. They live in both terrestrial and arboreal locations, and they are active at night, peaking between late evening and after midnight. During the day, they prefer to rest in trees or rock crevices. When food is plentiful and predators are around, all palm civets become more active.
Available food sources influence whether or not civets have overlapping areas. When food is abundant in their zone, the territories do not overlap; nevertheless, when civets need to find food, they typically go to neighboring territories. Males walk a longer distance daily than females. These animals are excellent climbers, but they are less nimble than other civets due to their non-prehensile tails.
From Tree Cat to World’s Most Expensive Coffee Bean
The history of kopi luwak coffee is intertwined with the coffee cultivation history in Indonesia. The Dutch planted farms around Indonesia and started to import Yemeni coffee beans. In Java around the turn of the 19th century, farmers started to brew and drink this exotic coffee that they brewed from civet poop on their farms.
Initially, the civet coffee trade looked promising for these critters. The Asian palm civet, which constantly raids commercial fruit orchards in Indonesia, is frequently seen as a problem, therefore the emergence of the kopi luwak industry spurred locals to protect civets for their valuable feces. Their digestive enzymes alter the structure of proteins in coffee beans, removing some of the acidity and producing a smoother cup of coffee.
More wild civets are being imprisoned in cages on coffee farms now than at any other point as civet coffee has grown in popularity, and as Indonesia grows as a tourist spot where visitors want to observe and interact with wildlife. This is partly for coffee farming, but it’s also to get money from civet-ogling tourists.
Kopi Luwak Today
Today you can find a few retailers and specialty coffee roasters that have access to this delicacy. Be prepared to shell out big bucks if you are not in Indonesia or Java because the Kopi Luwak runs on an average of $80 per cup in the United States.
Both online and traditional brick-and-mortar stores have started stocking their inventory for this specialty coffee bean recently, due to a raging pandemic that has kept most people indoors, and because of the increased interest in the coffee beans.
The Kopi Luwak Coffee Flavor Profile
The flavor profile of Kopi Luwak coffee is mostly earthy and musty, with small traces of caramel and chocolate. Some coffee drinkers use the word “jungle” to describe the hints of soil and dirt that come through the blend. While some farmers will argue that the Civet removes the acidity of the beans and creates a smoother cup of coffee, others tend to disagree.
Most serious coffee aficionados will vehemently argue that the harvesting process of the coffee beans for Kopi Luwak coffee actually harms the coffee instead. Because of the civets’ highly acidic stomachs, the coffee bean actually loses the acidity that creates a specialty cup of java.
The Downside to Drinking Kopi Luwak
Like with most things there are a few downsides to having this expensive, specialty coffee brew. The first, and the most well-known, downside to this coffee is the price. At $80 a cup or $165 for a pound of beans. Kopi Luwak is the world’s most expensive coffee blend.
Most people will choose to not spend that much on coffee, therefore leaving it to serious coffee drinkers. However, even the most dedicated coffee drinkers have a hard time with the other downside to this brew.
While the Kopi Luwak harvesting process did not start out this way, in recent years there have been many reports coming from the area of the mistreatment of the Civets. Many breeders tend to house the animals in cages that are too small, inadequate food supply levels, and dirty water. The mistreatment of animals has increasingly become a problem, especially when international animal protection groups start getting involved.
If you are going to try this coffee blend, be sure to research where and how the beans were harvested to ensure that you are sourcing your beans from ecologically sound farmers.
Hi, I’m Jen Williams, chief editor and writer for ThirstPerk.com.
I’ve been drinking coffee and tea for most of my life, but it wasn’t until I started working at Thirstperk.com that I became an expert on the subject. I’m a total caffeine addict who has spent hours upon hours reading about and experimenting with the different types of coffees out there in my search to find the perfect cup of joe.
I’ve been a tea lover for as long as I can remember as well. I grew up in a house with a mom who loved to drink herbal tea, and I think that’s where my love for tea first began. These days, I’m always on the lookout for new and interesting teas to try, and I love experimenting with different brewing methods and flavoring combinations.
