Authentic Luwak Coffee - Produce from Animal Feces

Bali Luwak Coffee

            Have you been to Indonesia and tried Luwak Coffee? Who would think to (or even want to) collect and roast beans out of animal feces?

           Well, Luwak coffee is a great coffee from Indonesia that is hard to find. Unique characteristics resulting from the unique natural fermentation and harvesting techniques profoundly impact the flavor of every bean.  Luwak is the local name of the Asian palm civet in Sumatra. The civet eats the coffee cherries, the cherries go through the digestive tract and fermentation occurs, and then they pass through the intestines and eventually pooped out. The coffee cherries are then picked out from poop aka poop coffee.

• Where Does Luwak Coffee Originate?

Luwak coffee came about in the 18th century in the Dutch East Indie islands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. Nowadays it’s mainly produced on the Indonesian islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali, and Sulawesi. The Philippines, East Timor, and Vietnam are also making similar versions of poop coffee.

• Where Can You Get Luwak Coffee?

The best way to purchase authentic Luwak coffee is to go to Indonesia and make a vacation out of it. It’s one of the tastiest things to do in Bali. Learn about the coffee’s process, sample a cup of poop coffee, and then buy some fresh Indonesian coffee to bring home with you. If you can’t swing an Indonesian vacation there are many websites selling the coffee or some specialty coffee shops may carry Luwak Coffee from Bali or other regions.

• How Much Does Luwak Coffee Cost?

Luwak coffee is one of the most expensive coffees in the world with a retail price as high as $700 per kilo/$300+ per pound. However, farmed Luwak coffee (low grade) can be purchased in Indonesia at large grocery stores for about $100 kilo. There are Luwak coffee roasters in Bali that sell the coffee to buy the cup so you can sample it. A cup sells for over $5 a cup in Indonesia.

• What Does Luwak Taste Like?

The thought of an animal eating the coffee cherry, pooping it out, cleaning the coffee bean, and roasting it may sound a bit strange. What on earth could it taste like? The result of all this work is a very flavorful almost fruity coffee that has very little bitterness. During the digestive process the beans altered and it yields a much less bitter cup.

• Why Is Luwak coffee The Most Expensive Coffee In The World?

Luwak coffee is the most expensive coffee in the world due to its quality and rarity. Along with being simply outstanding in flavor, the coffee is produced in incredibly small batches each year. In fact, some years the civets are only able to collectively produce around 500kg in an entire year. This is why the price is not only high but also varies significantly from one year to the next.