A trip to Indonesia is much more than the white sand beaches or the amazing party scene. A lesser-known fact is that it is also famous for its coffee. Out of all the different brands and flavors, Kopi Luwak is considered to be one of the most authentic and expensive coffees which are mostly found only in Indonesia.
Legend says that Kopi Luwak was discovered in Indonesia during the time of Dutch colonial rule. The situation was such at that time that the farmers were locked off from the plantation and were forbidden from using the coffee for their use, leaving them no option but to search for other ways to brew the beverage.
How is Kopi Luwak prepared?
Owing to the restrictions put by the Dutch, the native Indonesians discovered their method of preparing coffee. In a short period of time, they discovered that the civet cat would ingest the coffee cherries and pass the seeds without digesting them.
The collectors gather this excretion, wash and dry the coffee beans. Later, the beans' outer skin is removed carefully and the beans are preserved and sorted for the roasting procedure. The distinct flavor of the coffee is derived from the animal’s gut and digestive fluids which adds more of a citrus flavor to Kopi Luwak.
Many people believe that Kopi Luwak is a refined and better-tasting coffee than any other brand or flavor of coffee in the world, and some argue that it is one of the worst tasting coffee. Nevertheless, a pound of this coffee can go on to sell for hundreds of US Dollars!
Kopi Luwak Price
Kilogram: USD 100 per kg (farmed), upto USD 1300 per kg (wild-collected beans).
Per Coffee: $4 (farmed variety), $100 (wild variety)
Places to try Kopi Luwak:
There are some amazing coffee plantations in Bali where one can try this expensive, unique, and delicious brand of coffee. Apart from taking in the aroma and flavor of the delicious coffee one can also plan a small excursion that will truly make your visit all the more memorable. Here is a list of some coffee plantations that offer Kopi Luwak for sale. However, it is sold at exorbitant prices at most places.
1. Bali Pulina Agro-Tourism
2. Teba Sari Agro-Tourism
3. Alam Sari Agro-Tourism
4. Lumbung Sari
5. House of Luwak
6. CoffeeMas Plantation
7. Luwak Coffee
Concerns with Kopi Luwak:
80% of Kopi Luwak is fake:
On the flip side, there are many concerns about Kopi Luwak coffee. The first one is that almost 80% of Kopi Luwak is fake. This is because most of the coffee has not even been near a civet cat forget about being through it. Now, civet cats are small animals that have a small appetite, further; civet cats are nocturnal and live in the rainforests. All this makes the task of procuring the coffee seeds next to impossible.
Concerns about animal cruelty
Keeping in mind the ethical implications and the threats associated with the preparation of Kopi Luwak, one is never assured of the right type of coffee. So it is advisable to simply stick to a regular cup of coffee rather than shelling out a handsome price for Kopi Luwak.
