Kopi Luwak

After close to two years of Coffee Crawling and focusing on PE's seemingly innumerable coffee shops, the December 6 Crawlers were invited to spend some time at Leanne's beautiful Seaview home to sample one of the world's most exotic coffees.  This post then will not feature a coffee shop but rather Kopi Luwak Coffee aka Civet Coffee.

Leanne recently returned from a trip to Bali where she learned of this coffee that is produced mainly on the islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali and Sulawesi in the Indonesian Archipelago.  This coffee refers to the beans of the coffee berries that have been eaten and excreted by the Asian Palm Civet.  The beans are removed intact from civet feces, then dried, roasted and ground.  The civet's digestive process supposedly removes bitterness from the beans making for a smoother taste.  The coffee sells for about $600/pound!  Upon gathering all this info while on vacation, Leanne purchased some Kopi Luwak with the intent of sharing the joy with the Crawlers.  She also purchased samples of more traditional Bali coffees .... just in case!!!

The "just in case" coffee

So, the big day, Thursday, Dec 6, arrived and Crawlers Stella and Beryl Dawson, Kathy Roppel, Fran and Mandy de Beer, Leanne Waller, Marie, Cayle and June Nash, Nomusa Nkomo, Gail and Roy Backstrom, and my daughter, Liz, met at Leanne's house to taste test the "poop coffee." 

This Week's Crawlers
Stella, Liz, Beryl, Kathy, Mandy, Marie, Leanne,
Gail, June, Nomusa, Fran, Roy

The anticipation heightened as we enjoyed the aroma of freshly brewed Kopi Luwak.  Leanne did the honor of pouring for everyone.  We all grabbed a cup, went onto the deck overlooking the ocean, and waited for someone else to take the first sip.  As a pod of dolphins played in the distance we all eventually downed our Kopi Luwak then, being the coffee connoisseurs (I use this term very loosely) we have become, proceeded to critique this unorthodox coffee.  Long conversation made short... we all agreed that it lacked flavor, body and substance... the qualities that make good coffee good.  Clearly, passing through the digestive system of the Asian Palm Civet robs the beans of their natural character!  Food writer for the Washington Post, Tim Carman, describes Kopi Luwak as "Stale.  Lifeless.  Petrified dinosaur droppings steeped in bathtub water."  I heartily agree.  We all took our second and third rounds from the "just in case" coffee and found it to be delicious.  Good choice, Leanne!

Okay, who's going first?



Looks like coffee.... tastes like...?

While enjoying the cakes and coffee that Leanne provided we discussed the newspaper article that Nomusa brought with her regarding "Black Ivory Coffee blend made from coffee beans digested and excreted by Thai elephants."  Anyone up for a quick trip to Thailand?  This elephant dung coffee goes for about the same price as the Kopi Luwak.

The next topic of conversation concerned the controversies surrounding the Kopi Luwak coffee.  Animal rights and wildlife conservation groups denounce Kopi Luwak producers for cruel and unethical treatment of the Palm Civet.  Also, claims exist that much of the Kopi Luwak on the market is imitation "as fifty times more is sold than produced."  Hmm.

Wow, what a Crawl it was.... fun, educational, eye-opening... never a dull moment!

~Thank you to Leanne for opening your home to us and providing some interesting coffee choices from your
   trip to Bali.
~Happy Birthday to my sister, Carol, in Millersville, PA - December 16
~Happy Birthday to my sister, Mary, in Edinboro, PA - December 17

Until next week,

Ellen

Leanne's very cool Christmas tree