The most expensive coffee in the world

Every true coffee lover, if not tried, then at least heard of the world-famous, Indonesian luwak coffee.

Which only epithets did not award the coffee producers and sellers, “the most prestigious in the world”, “elite”, “premium”, “gods drink”, the taste of his “extremely soft”, “caramel”, “with a delicate aroma of vanilla and chocolate “, and so on and so forth.

Although we do not really like coffee, and it is not a big connoisseur, we still decided to find out better what is a this “animal coffee.”

Luwak in the local language is pronounced “luwak”, but since most of the more usual pronunciation “Luwak”, we will not be anyone to retrain and will continue its so-called – “Coffee Luwak”.

To write this post, we visited several Balinese coffee plantations, as well as the annual Festival of the Indonesian coffee in Ubud, which tasted different varieties, compared with regular coffee Luwak coffee, and talked to the local craftsmen of the coffee business.

So, get acquainted, the main protagonist in the production chain of coffee Luwak, small creature with sad eyes – Asian Palm Civet or African palm civet (paradoxurus hermaphroditus)

The process of making this delicious coffee is as follows: Viverra eat fresh coffee berries, which are in their stomachs and intestines, due to special enzymes are processed. Coffee beans, which naturally leave pischevarelny tract of animals, dried in the sun, then thoroughly washed, and then re-dried in the sun and then roasted.

The best and most delicious coffee producing wild Viverra that at night making their way to the coffee plantations, where regale selective – juicy and ripe coffee berries, as well as a thank you leave waste their livelihoods, farmers who then found under the coffee bushes and carefully collect.

It is difficult to imagine in what fevered brain initially had the idea to pick out grains of excrement and eat it, but the fact remains – it happened and Viverra began to catch and put into cells in order to put on stream Luwak coffee production.

Although farmers assurances that Viverra continue to feed exclusively selected berries, believe in it with difficulty, and judging by the hungry eyes of small animals, they are very unlikely to pick and Each Viverra fed daily about 1 kg of coffee berries that the output gives a total of about 50 grams of the desired grain. Viverra live not only on the coffee ration – because by nature they are predators in their diet must be present and the animal food – usually they are fed chicken.

Happy Luwak sleepy and sluggish, and most of the day asleep, and they peak of activity occurs at night, so the main kormёzhka coffee berries falls on the evening and give the chicken is almost night.

The high cost of the coffee because Viverra not breed in captivity, so to increase the volume of production is possible only at the expense of wildlife. In addition, a special enzyme, acting on the coffee beans produced in their bodies only 6 months of the year, and the rest of their time include “idle”. Many even Viverra released into the wild, and the season are caught again – so it turns out cheaper than feeding them the gift of six months.

Cost Luwak coffee plantations is around 150 thousand. Rupees ($ 15) per 100 g, with the wholesale purchase of about $ 100 per kilogram. In Europe, the price reaches $ 400 per 1 kilogram, and the retail price for a pack of packaged coffee, can reach $ 100 per 100 grams.

We asked to see the plantation, and we made a tour of the Revealed accidents Viverra, dormant in their cages. As a rule, they are quite aggressive, but during the day, some individuals are friendly, so that they can even take on your hands. At the touch they are soft and fluffy, as cats, muzzles and they are very nice.

After the cells of animals, we looked like dried initially not yet separated from the grains of excrement on special pallets, placed in the sun Then dried already selected and rinsed beans.

After that, all already prepared and dried beans waiting for their turn, to the next process,

Then we watched the next conversion step – roasting coffee beans.

So on the plantations can see the whole process of turning coffee – from the berries that grow on trees, to the usual toasted grains or ground coffee, packaged on a pack for sale.

We even put our hands on the process of roasting – boy, stir the seeds, he has honored us and gave us the honor of your scoop.

After the tour we were invited to the table.

And then at the tasting ceremony, which was offered to taste several varieties of tea, as well as regular coffee.

We sipped leisurely gulls, enjoying views of rice terraces.

But Kopi Luwak we also offered to try, but for a fee – a cup of exclusive worth 50,000 rupees ($ 5).

We tried it later on Food Festival in Ubud – if you drink it with the amount of sugar, it is like to do the Indonesians, the difference can not be detected.

Sugar-free taste of coffee Luwak is slightly different – it is softer and less harsh, but in our opinion the price for it is wound more for the brand than for the taste, though, it’s just our personal opinion and we, again, connoisseurs of coffee are not.

On plantations often but Viverra, contains other animals, such as porcupines.

Rabbits

Bred bees and wasps – wasp honey, by the way, very specific tastes.

And besides coffee plantation grown spices and cocoa.

In stores you can buy at a plantation packaged spices and other products with extracts of cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, nutmeg.

Or try to sniff or not packaged and freshly spices.

How to find coffee plantations in Bali

Most coffee plantations are located on the road to Kintamani (Geotagging). Plantation there are several, we counted at least 5, on the road, usually hangs a large sign with the inscription Kopi Luwak.

Source – Life-in-travels