About the Luwak and Coffee

You probably read the title of this article and immediately asked yourself, “What in the world is a luwak?” Most people think it is a fancy coffee-maker, or perhaps a global coffee company that is quickly taking over the market a la Starbucks. Actually, believe it or not, the luwak is an animal. Now you are probably asking yourself, “What in the world does an animal have to do with coffee?” Well, believe it or not, it has quite a bit to do with a special type of coffee bean. This article will tell you what a luwak is and how it relates to a special and exotic blend of premium coffee.

The Luwak: A Gourmet Coffee Bean Producer

If you have never heard of the luwak, do not be concerned; most people haven’t. In fact, unless you are from southeast Asia, you probably have not heard this term before in your life. The luwak is the local name for the Asian palm civet. A civet is a cat-sized mammal that lives in the jungles and forests of Asia and has a special appetite for coffee berries. Civets are numerous and are largely considered a nuisance in many agricultural areas because of their penchant for eating fruit (including coffee). Yet, believe it or not, the luwak does play a role in coffee production. How?

The Coffee Bean-Civet Connection

As mentioned above, the luwak loves to eat fruit. Since coffee originally comes from a fruit, coffee plants are a prized item in the luwak diet. A luwak will eat the berries off of a coffee plant, and will digest most of it. The beans inside the berry, however, cannot be completely digested by the luwak, and are expelled as solid waste. What happens is the digestive juices in the luwak’s stomach strips away a lot of the proteins in the bean that causes bitterness. They also add flavor to the bean itself by the way it interacts with the bean’s natural ingredients.

Coffee makers will find the waste deposits of a luwak and will extract the beans from them. Once they are cleaned off, they are dried in the sun and lightly roasted (as to preserve the new flavors and not make the bean bitter). The coffee is then processed as usual, with grinding, drying, and brewing to make a type of coffee known as Kopi Luwak.

Kopi Luwak – the Most Expensive Gourmet Coffee in the World

Like the heading says, Kopi Luwak is known as the most expensive gourmet coffee in the world. Fewer than 1,000 pounds enter the global market per year, and each pound can cost anywhere from $100 to $600 USD a pound! In fact, it is usually sold by the cup – and some cups of this coffee have been sold in various coffee houses for as much as $100 a cup! The high price is due to the quality of the Kopi Luwak. Because of the unique processes that add flavor, as well as the fact that the beans are usually arabica, the Kopi Luwak has a very distinctive yet very appealing and desirable taste and body that make it sought-after by coffee lovers everywhere.

So, if you are in search of the ultimate gourmet coffee, then the next time you are in Asia try a cup of Kopi Luwak. While you sip, though, be sure to thank the luwak – because it is the luwak that makes this coffee possible!

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