CUPPA POO COFFEE

Today we go from the scatological to the sublime, so hold on to your coffee cups and join me for a look at the world of kopi luwak or loewak coffee.

Kopi luwak refers to Indonesian coffee (mostly Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi) beans which have been eaten, digested and excreted by an Asian Palm Civet (species Paradoxunus). The civet apparently chooses the ripest coffee berries for their juicy pulp. In its digestive tract, the coffee’s peptides shorten and create more amino acids, resulting in a tastier flavor profile. The “fermented” beans emerge from the digestive process fairly intact, and still wrapped in layers of the coffee fruit’s mucilage. I can tell you, it’s a sight to see. No, better yet, see for yourself:

Loewak coffee is the most expensive coffee in the world, and sells for $100-$600 per pound. Proponents and producers rave about smoothness and flavor.  Here is Tim Hayward’s blog from The Guardian:

"On first taste it's pretty fantastic with all of the higher notes you tend to get with a well-roasted bespoke coffee (regular civilian drinkers, myself included, seem to see coffee in terms of big, bassy low-end flavours and smells)... [T]he defining characteristic is a lovely, long, subtly nutty aftertaste that looks like it's going to carry on right through to the bacon sandwich I'm lining up as breakfast."

On the other hand, detractors "poo-poo” such comments as completely overblown. Tim Carman, food writer for the Washington Post reviewed kopi luwak available in the US and concluded "It tasted just like...Folgers. Stale. Lifeless. …I couldn’t finish it."

So what is the truth here? Your man in the field wanted to study the issue up close and personal.

My friend Pak Luna, Javan guide par excellence, took me out to his buddy Ali’s coffee company outside of Yogyakarta. Loewak Coffee Co. is a small scale, small production facility where the magic happens. On the day I visited, Japanese and Italian visitors sat around ooh-ing and aah-ing about Ali’s product and taking home bags of 100 and 200 grams at a price equivalent to $320. per pound.

Ali was affable and high energy (I guess I would be too if I drank coffee all day). He even offered his guests a chance to hold the civets, but I passed after I saw one lock onto an Italian girl’s breast. Apparently animal rights people have decried the use of loewak coffee because the civets are kept in cages and treated badly. But Ali’s critters seemed pretty sanguine about their conditions. The one who molested la signorina seemed to be smiling, in fact.

Then, “Would you like to try my coffee?” Yes, please.

While the coffee brewed, Ali explained that most of what passes for loewak coffee on the market is actually only 2-5% loewak mixed with other Arabica coffee. He showed me the "ingredients" panel on a bag of a competitor’s product to illustrate. His product is 100%, the real deal. Then he served me a cup, black with a little sugar.

How about the coffee? Delicious, but not incredible. It tasted like smooth Italian espresso, with a noticeable lack of acidity that might encourage a second cup. I convinced Ali to sell me 50 grams, which I keep with my most valuable possessions. John Mullin, this cup’s for you – if you dare!

Happy new year to all. Thanks for looking in!