Pricey coffee good to the last dropping:
Would you pay $175 for a pound of coffee beans which had passed through the backside of a furry mammal in Indonesia?
Apparently, some coffee lovers wanting to treat themselves to something special are lapping it up.
Kopi Luwak beans from Indonesia are rare and expensive, thanks to a unique taste and aroma enhanced by the digestive system of palm civets, nocturnal tree-climbing creatures about the size of a large house cat.
...
Despite being carnivorous, civets eat ripe coffee cherries for treats. The coffee beans, which are found inside of the cherries, remain intact after passing through the animal.
Civet droppings are found on the forest floor near coffee plantations.
That must be an interesting job - rather like reading the
NY Times.
Once carefully cleaned and roasted, the beans are sold to specialty buyers.
Glad to hear about the "carefully cleaned and roasted" part.
Indonesia produces only about 500 kilograms, or roughly 1,100 pounds, of the coffee each year, making it extremely expensive and difficult to find.
As with all rare commodities, I'm sure some er, "indistinguishable substitutes" will enter the market. I'll be ready with my offering as soon I transfer it from the Walmart bags.
