A worldwide community photographing and learning about wildlife
Project Noah Nature School
Coffea arabica
The most expensive coffee in the world. These are digested clumps of coffee, eaten by the Asian Palm Civet. Kopi Luwak is made from the beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by the Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) and other related civets, then passed through its digestive tract. A civet eats the berries for their fleshy pulp. In its stomach, proteolytic enzymes seep into the beans, making shorter peptides and more free amino acids. Passing through a civet's intestines the beans are then defecated, keeping their shape. After gathering, thorough washing, sun drying, light roasting and brewing, these beans yield an aromatic coffee with much less bitterness, widely noted as the most expensive coffee in the world.
Coffee plantations in Sumatra, Java, Bali, Sulawesi and The Philippines. Although they were collected wild, some plantations now keep civets in cages on the property of the plantation for easier harvesting.
Kopi Luwak sells for up to $50 a cup in coffee shops in NY and Sidney. This Kopi Luwak was photographed at my home but sent to me by a friend from Java. It is the real thing. It is very mild and delicious that is not bitter at all and has a nice nutty flavour. These beans must be washed and roasted before they are ready to make coffee.
Spotted on Jun 11, 2011
Submitted on Jun 11, 2011
8 Comments
@Leuba, I haven't touched this exact sample at all but I did the rest my friend sent me. She sent me about half a kilo of roasted beans, plus, 250gr of unroasted beans and this little washed yet fairly untouched pile.
I shared this with many people and they all liked it. It is fairly mild with a slight nutty taste. I like it. I also bought some of it in Vietnam, 'chon', they call it there. Not sure if it is the real thing but will try it when I get home and let you know.
@Achmmad, thanks, it's worth it!
So Dan, are you going to roast this sample sent by your friend ? - let us know how you go. I heard about the civet cats and coffee beans but never seen pictures of them. thanks for sharing this - really interested-tell us if they're worth $50/cup..
Yep, it's cool to see this in the "wild." My spotting wasn't so fresh as it had already dried. I reluctantly smelled it and was surprise that it had a nice woodsy smell instead of ... http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/933...
I'll wait for it.
Thanks Achmmad! Yes, you have easy access to this being in Indonesia. I actually saw fresh kopi luwak in Vietnam on the road in Cat Tien National Park. Very cool to see it fresh. Will post it in a few weeks when I'm home.
Here it is! The actually have passage gut of Paradoxurus. :D And you'll easy found them (plantation) at Lampung, Southern Part of Sumatra Island.
My friend that mailed these to me from Jakarta was told they were C. arabica by the farm she bought them from.
It's very hard to tell if they are Coffea arabica or Coffea canephora robusta beans :)