In this beautiful area surrounded by forest covered mountains and waterfalls I invite you to coffee plantation in southern Vietnam close to the city of Dalat. I have to admit that I am more of a tea lover but I like to drink good coffee from time to time, especially when it is something new to try straight from the plantation. I have heard before that best coffee in the world and in the same time most expensive is made from shit but for the first time I had the opportunity to try it. From the whole variety of coffees offered by this plantation I decided to choose the shitty one called Kopi Luwak.
Who is the author of the shit?
Luwac or Civet cat is a cat-like animal which lives in tropical Asia, mostly Indonesia. It’s a small mammal which belongs to Viverridae family. Coffee beans which are in fact seeds contain caffeine as a plant defense against animal. However, this protection doesn’t work for civet cat, because coffee cherries are its delicacy! Producers believe that these cats make selection and choose only the best beans to eat, that is another reason why the coffee is so good.
Prisoned civet cat in Vietnam.
The civet chews the cherries for the fleshy pulp, but yet the seed is not digested. During digestion though certain process of fermentation occurs giving the seeds it’s unique favor. After around 24 hours the cat poops all the coffee seeds which can be collected and processed. In Vietnam these feces are considered as golden. In the next steps seeds are washed from other fecal matter, dried and pounded to remove the skin. At last, they are sorted and finally roasted.
The traditional method of collecting shit from wild civets has given way to intensive farming methods in which cats in battery cage systems are force-fed the cherries. This method of production has raised ethical concerns about the treatment of civets due to bad conditions. These include isolation, poor diet, small cages and a high mortality rate. Intensive farming is also criticized by traditional farmers because the civets do not select what they eat. Cherries which are fed to them in order to flavor the coffee are of poor quality compared to those beans collected from the wild. Planning to buy kopi luwak please be concern about these facts and check carefully the source of your coffee.
Poo of the civet cat.
Why is this shit most expensive in the world?
Kopi Luwak has surely most uncommon means of production than any other coffee. Many animals are needed and overall process is not very productive. Collecting poop of wild cats or buying it from farmers should be the natural way of production, though gives even less product. This kind of coffee being the most unique received its extremely expensive price tag reaching €550 / US$700 per kilogram for an excellent quality. Low quality should be around 100 USD.
Now I can tell you that shit tastes really good!
Vietnamese style of brewing coffee.
Civet cats in the cages.
The Bee is a nature lover and tea addict. Loves the idea of slow life and responsible traveling, constantly trying to improve to bee more eco-friendly. Appreciates old cultures and traditions, loves to immerse with locals, listen to ethnic music as well as taste regional food and drinks. Her favorite spots while traveling are family houses and street markets.
Ech, tak to jest, że jeśli coś staje się popularne, a produkowane jest tego za mało, to zaczyna dochodzić do nadużyć. I luwaki muszą siedzieć w klatkach i jeść pewnie mniej zróżnicowane rzeczy, niż na wolności…
Niestety, a co za tym idzie jakość kawy jest gorsza, bo zwierzęta nie są już w stanie wybierać dla siebie najlepszych ziaren
Uwielbiam kawę, ale tej chyba bym nie dała rady wypić. Wspaniały post. 🙂
Bardzo mi przyjemnie Barbaro. Kawa jest przepyszna, a proces jej tworzenia na prawdę unikatowy, więc na bok zbędne myśli 😀 Kawa jest oczyszczona z wszelkich frykasów wydalania.
Haha, dobre. Jak będę następnym razem w Azji to się rozejrzę za tą “ciekawostką” 😉
Polecam! Jest też bardzo słynna w Indonezji
Kiedyś spróbuję, już jestem ciekawa smaku.
Mocna, pyszna, z lekką nutką dekadencji 😛
That certainly doesn’t sound delicious, but I think I’d definitely try it if I came across it. Just for the weirdness of it.
That was exactly the reason for me since I am not a big coffee drinker. 😉
My first Kopi Luwak was in the mountain province of the Philippines where they have massive of these, particularly in Sagada. The coffee tastes good. How you make the coffee makes really a difference.
Kopi Luwak, I wish I will have enough money to travel and drink this shit tea
I didnot even know that something like this existed . A knowledgeable blog regarding the Kopi Luwak
Good Lord, I am glad I buy cheap coffee not these “delicacies”… wow, very interesting!
I say that there’s money from shit. haha! I, myself too is more of a tea lover but will definitely try how this coffee from shit tastes.
Yes absolutely… I’ve had this coffee and it’s divine. Thanks for sharing this article, as I didn’t know the entire history on that .
Tytuł mega kontrowersyjny, by nie powiedzieć klikbajtowy, ale sama kawa jest bardzo smaczna i faktycznie ma jakiś taki nietypowy aromat. Mam nadzieję, że ta, której próbowałam – a częstował mnie szef – nie pochodziła z farm z klatkami.
Brawo! Tytuł zwracający uwagę przez g… Choć ta kawa to już nie nowość od jakiegoś czasu 🙂 Warto tu napisać o miodzie spadziowym który z g… robali powstaje a którym się też delektujemy
Nie nowość, nawet starość, jednak nie wszyscy znają szczegóły dotyczące procesu powstawania, a jeszcze mnie osób zdaje sobie sprawę z okrutnego traktowania tych zwierzątek przez niektóre plantacje co winniśmy rozprzestrzeniać. Pozdrawiam 😉
Haha nice tag line and work. good job done 👍🏼
Your article is hilarious! I too have had shitty coffee – in Bali. I am sure the Asians are laughing their but off that us Westerners actually drink this shit!
PIłam kopi luwak w Indonezji..ale szczerze nie kumam o co tyle szumu 🙂 Wolę jednak tradycyjne metody parzrnia.
Są tacy co oddali by każde pieniądze za tą kawę, myśle, że przez to, że proces jest tak unikatowy.
Raz jeden ją piłam. I powiem szczerze nie dałabym za nią kwoty. Ale raz na życie warto spróbować. Więcej już nie 😀
Cóż, każdy ma swoje preferencje, ta kawa z pewnością znajduje amatorów, którzy są w stanie za nią zapłacić każdą kwotę
Słyszałam już o tej kawie, ale nie wiem, czy bym się na nią skusiła. Raczej wątpię, coś mi w tym procesie produkcji nie pasuje. 😉
Ciekawe co 😛
Cóż za zbieg okoliczności, właśnie ostatnio z mężem kłóciliśmy się o tą kawę bo jakoś ciężko było mi uwierzyć z czego się robi najlepszą kawę, jednak miał rację, tyle przegrać 😉
:O I co przegrałaś, jeśli można wiedzieć?
I wanted to try this coffee ever since I saw a movie “the Bucket List” with Nicholson and Freeman.
Wiele o niej słyszałam, ale jeszcze nie próbowałam. Jeśli będzie okazja chętnie spróbuję (w pełni świadoma tego z czego jest produkowana) 😉
Już kiedyś o tym słyszałam – nieźle się wtedy zdziwiłam 😀
Sama bym gównianej kawy spróbowała – tym bardziej, że podobno jest najlepsza! 😉
Słyszałam o tym już jakiś czas temu, no bardzo jestem ciekawa smaku tej kawy, ale raczej nie dane mi będzie próbować 😉
Czemu nie? Jest wyjątkowa 😀
Wow, my mind is blown. I don’t think I would pay to drink coffee poop. Although, the kitty is so darn cute.
haha it is indeed
What! Coffee from shit? I’d never try this out no matter how delicious it is. You have put me in doubt for all the coffees.
Haha no worries, this is the only one made out of shit, that is why it is so expensive 😀 people love it!
I had to read this after seeing the title! I have heard of this type of coffee production, and that it is supposed to be such excellent coffee, but haven’t had the opportunity to try some. I expected to come here and have a laugh about it, and learn more about the process and the coffee. And I did! But you also opened my eyes to the ethical problems with how the civets are now treated, and I had no idea!! Thank you for the chuckle, the education, and the alert. If I ever get the chance to try some, I will definitely ask about sourcing first. <3
uwielbiam kawę, ale nie jestem pewna czy ten rodzaj bym spróbowała 🙂
Dużo dobrego słyszałam o tej kawie, ale sama nie miałam jeszcze okazji jej kosztować 🙂
Well…sometimes It’s better not to ask how it was done 🙂 surely i do belive in that quality and amazing taste but will never be able to experience that on my own as i hate coffee! Kopi Luwak is present in my home for those that are coffee lovers, everyone except me adore it 🙂
Yeah that’s the solution good for all I guess. Win win! Probably your guests look at your weird how can you not be able to appreciate this wonderful taste 😛
Piłam, próbowałam,” i też mi smakowała. Zmartwiło mnie to, co napisałaś, że zwierzęta te hoduje się w klatkach. Straszne.
Niestety biznes to biznes i bardziej opłaca się hodowla zwierząt jak to zwykle bywa. Trzeba uważać i czytać etykietę. Niestety często zdarzają się oszustwa, więc nawet i to nie wystarczy. Najlepiej sprawdzić taką kawę, którą chcemy zakupić, jakie ma opinie w internecie i czy kawa rzeczywiście pochodzi od dzikich zwierząt.
Hehe ciekawy proces. Dla kawoszy pewnie ciekawa odmiana, jednak ja od półtora roku nie piję kawy w żadnej postaci 😉
OMG! całkiem milusi ten gówniarz 😀
Gówniarz 😀 haha
To coś dla mnie – jestem fanką kawy!
Słyszałem o tym w robo i myślałem, że ktoś mnie wkręca! 🙂 Dzięki za świetny artykuł! A co do kawy…. no…no… senkju 😉
ej no trzeba być otwartym na nowe i ciekawe, skrzynko! Kawa była w porządku, nie pachła kupom 😛
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Oglądałam fantastyczny reportaż o tej kawie, fajnie, że też o niej wspominasz! 🙂 Piękne zdjęcia!
Ta kawa mnie zawsze intrygowała. Słyszałam o niej, ale przyznam szczerze, że nie próbowałam…Nawet nie miałam okazji ku temu 😉
So cool
Lol! I have heard this before, but I never think about it when drinking coffee. 🙂
Niesamowite, jako kawoholiczka z chęcią spróbowałabym takiego rarytasu.
Polecam, taka ciekawostka z Azji 😉
I have heard that it in not worth it’s money especially when you get to know that those animals suffer :/.
As I wrote, it is important to drink coffee from shit collected from wild animals in their natural inhabitat, not for those who ar ein the cages. I strickly discourage people from doing so.
This is so interesting! I love coffee… Not sure I’d be willing to try this one though!
No worries it doesn’t smell like shit 😛
I’m a really big coffee lover <3
I’m loving the title!
I don’t know if I love coffee enough to try that though 😛
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I’ve tasted this coffee ( okay just a sip) and it’s good but when the thought of this coming from shit comes to mind… I just can’t…
haha I totally understand you
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Haha this cracked me up and disgusted me all at once 😅 I don’t know if I would have the courage to try it as much as I love coffee haha.
I tasted this coffee in Bali and it was quite good. I guess people are a little apprehensive about trying stuff if they know where it came from but if they were not able to have any knowledge of it, they’d like it! Animals’ poop can be so useful – you get coffee and even paper (elephant’s poo in Sri Lanka) out of it. LOL.
Oh yeah I heard about the paper in Sri Lanka, I must go there!
There’s a cafe in London that has civet coffee and despite the high price there’s always a big queue to get in and try their shit. It must have been great to be at the source though. I was in Dalat a few years ago but didn’t try any of the local civet coffee.
We tried Luwak Coffee in Bali and I remember it was really expensive for a little cup. It was fascinated them and still am after reading your post. Always makes me wonder who thought it was a good idea. Nice to see the detailed explanation here
Thanks for sharing this, I had no idea about where the poop coffee came from and I’m now quite concerned for these animals! Good to know we have to make sure we know where it comes from.
wow!! Coffee made of shits???? Never heard that one before. HAHAHA. Honestly, I am not a big fan of coffee but this so bizarre yet intriguing. I have been to Vietnam a couple of times but never tried it and never heard of it either. I have a couple of friends who are suckers for bizzare coffees and I think they will love it
I remember reading about this before, but you’ve certainly put it bluntly, haha. I’ve actually tried this believe or not, and I must admit that it was pretty damn good.
I was just in Dalat a few weeks ago but didn’t get the chance to visit any coffee plantations because it rained non-stop! I did read that they produce kopi luwak there, but I didn’t get to try it. I have also read about the ethical concerns; if you were allowed to see them during your plantation visit, did it look like the conditions were bad? I see you’ve got a picture of them in the cages.
Yes, the conditions were really bad, that’s why I recommend everyone to check the source of the coffee before trying kopi luwak as most of the times it’s not ethical business.
Amazing title. Though I heard it before from social media. But get the details of it from this post.
Hej, na której plantacji byłaś? Masz jakąś do polecenia na Bali? Z jednej strony chciałabym zobaczyć taką plantację, ale trochę przeraża mnie widok zamęczanych zwierząt. Z góry dzięki 🙂
Ja byłam w Wietnamie, całkiem przypdakiem trafiłam do plantacji i jak potem zostałam uświadmiona, że zwierzęta są w klatkach to żałowałam, że tam pojechałam. Nie polecam w ogóle wspierać tego biznesu!