Indonesia’s Kopi Luwak is the most exclusive and expensive coffee in the world known as Civet Coffee, it is an unusual way of processing the bean and it is not an actual type of coffee but a method of production. You might have questions on its production, origin and how is it different from the other?
Why is it so expensive?
The cost for 1 cup ranged from RM 70- RM300, which is generally 10 times more than the usual coffee. Luwak coffee is said to be the most expensive coffee due to its unusual way of production, takes a lot of time and energy as compared to usual coffees. It includes a lot a manual work and that’s what makes its flavor different and somewhat smooth and bitter
You will find the process a bit gross but it’s the process that makes it expensive and exotic. The coffee beans are first eaten by a cat named Civet, who then passes these beans through digestive systems, it alters the bean and gives a unique flavor and later the undigested beans are collected from their feces by the farmers as it is totally a manual process, farmers generally look for beans in the morning, only 5 to 6 beans can be found from each dropping. It really needs a large amount of time and labor as only the search consumes a lot of time and then its clean and other processes are also done. That’s what makes it so expensive as it also provides a different type of flavor.
Method of production
As I have already explained, the coffee beans are made through the feces of Luwak, but it also has a different form of production. For instance, Luwak coffee is also produced on farms by keeping the Civets captive in a cage. They are fed with ripe coffee berries and then after a couple of days they ferment and give a different taste of flavor.
The coffee beans are then collected by farmers and the cleaning process starts. It is the most difficult and laborious process, as fecal can result in food borne illness, it is then washed by removing the outer shell, then dried and washed again and again to make the beans clean and dry. Once the beans are dried, they roast the beans to kill the bacteria if any. With that the whole process completes making it suitable to use for making coffee.
Animal Welfare
It is a major threat to the animal as the cats Civet have been caged and are confined to the horrific environment with no proper diet and space, the animal often loses their fur. It is totally cruel to the cats.
Cris Shepherd, deputy regional director of Traffic said “The conditions are awful, much like battery chickens”,
“The civets are taken from the wild and have to endure horrific conditions. They fight to stay together but they are separated and have to bear a very poor diet in very small cages. There is a high mortality rate and for some species of civet, there’s a real conservation risk. It is spiraling out of control,”
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