Kopi Luwak – The Rarest And Most Expensive Coffee You Can Find

by Nickleon James employee

Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee and Luwak is the Indonesian name of the Asian Palm Civet*. Kopi Luwak

Kopi Luwak is also known as Civet coffee. Kopi Luwak, is not itself a variety of a coffee, it is in fact a certain way of processing coffee beans, a rather odd one actually. Generally, Kopi Luwak refers to a coffee that is made using partially digested coffee cherries found in the fecal matter (solid excretions) of Luwaks.

Kopi Luwak is produced primarily in the Indonesian Islands Java and Sumatra, where it is found in large number. These areas are well known for their extremely tasteful coffee. These islands are also a natural and native habitat of the Luwaks. These Luwaks live mostly in the trees and their favorite food is the coffee cherries. The Luwaks only eat the fully-ripened red coffee cherries. The flesh and pulp of the cherries is digested inside the stomach of a Luwak, but the beans inside the cherries cannot be digested and stay in the stomach until excreted. This is where the actual process starts. The coffee cherry beans can stay inside a Luwak’s digestive system for up to a day or even more. In the Luwak’s stomach various enzymes (biological catalysts) act on the coffee beans, and these chemical treatments and fermentations give the coffee its unique flavor and aroma. All the processes which occur during the digestion improve the actual flavor of these coffee beans. These beans then pass through the Luwak’s intestines and are defecated, still intact in their original shape.

These excreted beans are then collected by the locals and sold to the market, for brewing (after being roasted) one of the rarest coffees in the world. The locals get paid about $20 for each kilogram of Kopi Luwak coffee beans they provide. In the International markets, these unique beans are sold for about 600-700 USD per kilogram, making Kopi Luwak the most expensive of coffees. Only some special coffee shops sell coffee brewed from Kopi Luwak beans, and a cup costs from 40-80 USD.

This coffee is truly unique and there is no other coffee in the whole world, like it. It has a rich and heavy flavor, specially known for its lack of bitterness and hints of caramel and chocolate in it. This coffee has quite a thick texture and the taste varies depending on how much the coffee beans were roasted. The actual taste of these coffee beans can also vary depending on the Luwak’s diet e.g. certain berries eaten by the Luwak can give the coffee a pungent taste.

For collecting coffee beans from the feces of wild Luwak, farmers have developed certain farming methods. Mostly, Luwaks are kept caged on farms and are force fed the coffee cherries. Such farming methods have also raised concerns among Animal Welfare Organizations.

* (A civet is a small and slender, four legged mammal with a tail – they resemble in their appearance to cats.)

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