Kopi Luwak, or Civet Coffee is made from coffee beans that have been put through a special machine-a living machine, called the Javan civet cat. The luak is a species of civet cat found only on the island of Java in Indonesia. Like all civet cats it possesseses anal scent glands which secrete a fluid with a characteristic odor. In a concentrated form it smells terrible but when diluted it has a pleasant musky odor and can be used in perfume manufacture. The luak apparently loves coffee. But it is very particular in its taste. It only eats the choicest beans. The luak's digestive system, however, cannot handle the coffee beans very well and most of them are secreted a few hours after being eaten in a partially digested form. Somehow the contact with the animal's digestive juices changes the chemistry of the beans. When these beans are roasted, the coffee they produce is extremely tasty and full-bodied. Hopefully the enhanced flavor is due to partial digestion and not to contamination from the anal secretions of the civet cat. Plantation workers routinely search the grounds for the special beans which are then brewed into coffee in Indonesia's most select hotels, probably with the visitors not being informed about the origins of the great taste. I actually received a gift of a sample and frankly it tasted like any other coffee.
Kopi Luwak, or Civet Coffee is made from coffee beans that have been put through a special machine-a living machine, called the Javan civet cat.
