Thursday, February 16, 2012

Who loves ya, Kopi Luwak?



Between 2 coffee drinkers, my  daughter's present from Indonesia to her father of the authentic Kopi Luwak was shared with his nephew visiting from Sydney.

So what's the verdict? Come on, out with it! After a couple of sips, both men offered : smooth. Did I hear 'Interesting' muttered . I wonder if it referred to having  a chance to taste the 'gold' from the civet? But I was too occupied to quiz them nor interested in 'civet coffee' . Also, I did not hear anyone asking for another cuppa! Well, there's more coffee to be drunk as the golden package sits in the pantry barely done.

We were in Georgetown, Penang, over the Xmas season. At lunch in a popular tourist centre, after our order of kueh, we were asked,' Kopi Luwak anyone?' No one jumped to it. But we were jolted out of our skin when told it was RM 65  per cuppa!

The bushy tailed and cat-like civet, Luwak ( local name for the Asian Palm Civet) is the darling of the Kopi Luwak. The half - digested cherry berries  found in the dung are reputed to produce the Kopi  Luwak. The animal eats the soft outer part of the coffee berries and excretes the undigested beans which the local gather. Voila! the world's most expensive coffee is in their hands.

But rising demands  have prompted producers to cage the animals  and feed them on a regular diet of coffee berries. Experts say the cage- bred ' civet  coffee' is not the same, its flavour is not as unique as those produced by civets that eat berries in the wild. Why? Experts say the civet's finicky feeding habits and varied diet creates enyzmes that enrich the fermentation of the beans.

'The coffee does not appeal to everyone - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took some as a gift to former Australian  prime minister, Kevin Rudd, only to find local media dubbing it 'crappucino'. - Reuters.






Attractively packaged Kopi Luwak

7 comments:

  1. I love coffee but I think this coffee is not for me.

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  2. I prefer to stick to my good old traditional South Indian decoction coffee which I have been having day after day every morning without a break for the last 50 years or so.
    The new word verification format is making everyone go bonkers. Why don't you disable word verification feature ?

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  3. Heard about it, but probably not 'my cup of tea'... agree with Rama on the word verification thingy... think bloggers should go for the moderation feature which will put less burden for commentators...

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  4. I would try this beverage. Looks tasty!

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  5. Unless I'm not told, I wouldn't consciously want to drink this. :)

    Thank you for sharing about it. ;)

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  6. I prefer the ordinary coffee I get everyday.

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  7. Am curious to try it but I am wary, because whenever there is a high demand for something as "exotic" as this, you can expect there to be some animal exploitation thrown in.

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Great to have you popping in!