Poo Coffee
First up then, as this seemed to generate the most discussion in the comments of my last post.
Kesey had it right: Kopi Luwak
My little brother had been given some by a colleague from Indonesia. He doesn’t drink coffee, so passed it on to me as a birthday present. I’m still undecided as to whether or not poo coffee counts as a ‘gift’, however, it is considered a delicacy, and the bag I have is worth about €30, so, you know, it’s expensive.
Have I tried it? Well, not yet. We’re still reading up on the process – as far as I can make out only wild civets eat the coffee cherries, and there’s no caging or cruelty there, but if anyone knows different let me know.
I’ve heard this coffee is supposed to be amazing – the people who “make” it used to have to go out into the wild to collect the beans… but now that its become so profitable, I imagine that someone has commercialized it all and made it a whole lot less animal-friendly.
of course, this could be good for the civit cat’s reputation – they were the creatures blamed for being the source of the SARS virus, and for a while various Asian governments were ordering mass killings of them. So maybe their coffee related fame is a good thing? :)
09 Jun 2007 at 10:03 pm
Ok, Isobel. As much as I like coffee. I think I may have to give this one a pass…..
09 Jun 2007 at 11:18 pm
This is one of those things where you wonder how people discovered them in the first place, and then start pondering whether it is an indigenous protest against colonialism by selling used beans to their oppressors.
Like that Bird’s nest soup.
10 Jun 2007 at 12:07 am
DO tell us how you like them. Be sure to have a camera on hand, when you take that first sip. Just in case, you know, you find that you can’t get over the image.
10 Jun 2007 at 1:40 am
Is, I don’t think there’s any caging involved. Civets were raised in captivity at one point but that was because the secretions from their anal glands were used in perfumes. Because, you know, there’s nothing quite like the secretions from a weasel’s ass to give your fragrance that je ne se quois…
10 Jun 2007 at 11:06 pm
Ok, Isobel, I couldn’t pass this one up either. Loved your Sunday morning photo post–looks perfectly perfect. But. Poo Coffee???? I’d have to do a lot more research first. My advice: stick to tea and biscuits. :) I’m checking international mailing details today, and very, very soon there are some goodies on their way to you! (Your England vacation looked fabulous. I must make plans to go there next.) Stay away from the poo!
11 Jun 2007 at 2:05 pm
Hey, we’ve been talking about this poo, here, and I’m not exactly sure that would be a “vegetarian” choice anyway . . . .
11 Jun 2007 at 2:08 pm
Mmmm…assweasel.
11 Jun 2007 at 2:38 pm
It is worth a try. And at least your brother thought enough of you to give it to you.
11 Jun 2007 at 9:57 pm
I love kopi luwak, it taste mix coffee and a bit choco taste. I bought 2, medium roasted and dark roasted, I prefer the dark one.
10 Apr 2008 at 1:32 pm