Coffee and Civets
- The Edible Science
- Apr 27, 2021
- 2 min read
If our last article on Green Coffee was intriguing for you, we are back with another interesting article on coffee, an article about one of the most exclusive and expensive coffee in the world. With more than 100 varieties of coffee, this one stands out for a reason unimaginable in your wildest dreams. Wanna know? If yes, then read on to find why a cup of Kopi Luwak can go to around 80$.
The secret to this expensive commodity is poop. Wait, what? Yes. At least technically, yes. The coffee is made from beans that are fed to a civet, a cat-like creature, which expels it out after partially digesting the beans. The digestive enzymes work on the proteins in the coffee and break them down. Well, don’t gross-out, because the outer covering is removed during processing and is thoroughly cleaned before they are out in the market. Some controversy still exists as many coffee experts claim that this digestion although makes the coffee smoother, but also removes some acids and flavors characteristic to coffee. Also, one common misconception that exists is that Kopi Luwak is a coffee, but in truth, it is not. It is actually a method of production, and the quality depends as much on the source as it does on the roasting process.
Image by : www.coffeeaffection.com
The roots of Kopi Luwak go back to the 1700s in Sumatra and Java, where the Dutch set their coffee plantations. The locals who were not allowed to harvest coffee beans noticed that wild civets would eat the ripe coffee cherries and then leave them behind. So they used these leftover beans to brew themselves a cup of coffee
A major concern associated with this method is the living condition of the civets farmed for this purpose. The civet has a long face similar to a monkey, face markings like a raccoon, and has stripes or spots on its body. This industry at first began in Indonesia where this Asian Palm Civet was seen as a pest. So people began to protect these civets, but soon as the industry grew and tourism grew, the living conditions of these civets were at stake, as they were caged. Many of the plantations lacked the basic requirements for the animal’s welfare. Also, these were nocturnal animals that were disturbed due to the daytime noise.
This not only was immoral for those animals, but it no longer produces the same quality of product too. The reason why it was so expensive is that the wild civets themselves pick the coffee cherries to give an exotic flavored coffee, but the caged civets fed with the old berries wouldn’t just be the same. Hence, it is extremely important to maintain good conditions for these civets, not only for the coffee but as a moral responsibility.
So despite claims in the past about this superior quality of coffee, animal abuse might just not be worth it. Moreover, advanced methods of production might just overpass the quality of this coffee. However, if you do want to try what is out there, make sure you go for some authentic one as there might be many willing to make you pay a large sum of money for some common coffee beans.
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