Coffee, coffee, coffee.
The fine nutty aroma that hits you as you blow on your morning coffee. The scorching heat followed by the smooth bitterness. Are you too a coffee addict? How would you like to try the world's most expensive 'crap' coffee?
Luwak coffee a.k.a cat poop coffee is, despite the nasty name, is a luxury in Bali. In fact, it is the world’s most expensive coffee. It is not so much the ingredients which make the coffee expensive, but the process. First of all, a Kopi Luwak, or Civet cat eats coffee beans. The nocturnal animal’s digestion system is not strong enough to breakdown the beans, just the first of three shells. The beans are processed naturally by the Luwak and left in compressed lumps in the forest. Next workers rummage the forest for the dropping which they later dry in the sun then wash with boiling water. After the second shell is peeled off, the beans are now ready for roasting. The process is in a metal tray over an open fire. The beans are stirred by hand until the perfect aroma is released. Next the beans are pounded by hand into a fine powder in what resembles a mortar and pestle.
The final product costs on average 50,000 IDR per cup – about $5 Australian. Considering a cup of coffee in Australia is about $4.50 the Luwak coffee does not seem much more expensive. However, when the average Indonesian wage and the cost of processing is low then the mark up is huge. Hence why it is considered the most expensive.
How does it taste?
I was a bit worried that it might 'taste like Sh**'. With a brave face I tried it. It is Surprisingly plesant. Not much drifferent to a standard long black, just a bit stronger in aroma and taste. It's also not as bitter as I was expecting. I would definitely try this again.
