Coffee in a Pouch –Marsupial Joe

Café life has long been an Australian pastime, but an unusual recent Indonesian import, Kopi Luwak, is causing quite a stir. 

The origins of a Kopi Luwak bean are what make it arguably the most rare, expensive, and sought-after coffee in the world. The coffee is made from beans excreted by a small, cat-like marsupial indigenous to the islands of Indonesia, the Asian Palm Civet.

The process to gather and harvest the beans for sale is painstaking. The civet cats search coffee trees and eat only the ripest coffee cherries. During digestion, the cherries help keep the coffee beans intact; apparently what gives the beans their distinct flavor is the stomach enzymes that cause fermentation. Harvesters then gather the remains and pick through to find the beans.

According to Reuters, roasted Kopi Luwak beans sell for around $450 per pound, and is considered among coffee connoisseurs to be amongst the world’s finest brew. Although Kopi Luwak has been around for years, it just recently became available in Queensland, and it’s selling for A$50 a cup (almost US$42).

One fan of the coffee was reported by the Australian Associated Press as having said, “This is the kind of coffee you renounce your religion and sell your child for.” That must be one great cup of coffee.

Posted by Kiki Namikas