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.

Otonan - Unique Ceremony for Birthday Celebrations In Balinese Way

Otonan - Unique Ceremony for Birthday Celebrations In Balinese Way

In Bali island, you can find many traditional ceremonies (that are very much related to Hinduism) every day. I would like to share to you one of the ceremonies in Bali is Otonan. Celebrating a religious ceremony means they have to prepare one or more Banten (offering = something made by the Balinese and present to God).
 

The offering is consisted of fruits, cakes, Tumpeng (rice-shaped in mountain-like), Tebu (sugar cane) and decorated with Sampiyan (made from young coconut leaves). The size of the offering made for the Otonan varieties from one village to another village. The details of the offering are also diverse according to the tradition of the hometown and creativity of the preparer, but the essence always remains the same.



Otonan or Ngotonin is a ceremony commemorating the birthday of 1 year, based on Wuku (6month times 35 days = 210 days). The fall day of otonan will coincide with Sapta Wara, Panca Wara, and Wuku. Otononan ceremonies are purposes to give thanks to Hyang Widhi for the gift of longevity, as well as please the safety and welfare.

Different from the birthday anniversary of using only the calculation of the date and month. Otonan conducted every 6months once by using the calendar calculations of Bali. ( 1 month = 35 days)
Otonan ceremony accompanied in prayer, along with giving a string bracelet to someone who was conducting Otonan ceremony. Prayer has the meaning of hope to be physically strong, strong in determination, strong in belief in God and Truth, and strong in facing all challenges of life.


The symbolic meaning of the bracelet thread:
1. Yarn in Bali was "Beneng" means straight, and also because the treads are often used to saw something and become straight. The point is that the heart is always on the straight and true.
2. Yarn has a flexible nature and not easily broken as a symbol of the resiliency of the heart and not easily discouraged.

WELCOMING BABY ACCORDING TO HINDU CUSTOMS

Balinese Three Month Celebration

The Samsakara performed immediately after childbirth is called Jatakarma. In this Samsakara the father has to chant specific mantras into the right ear of newborn and feed the mixture of Madhu, Ghrta, and Svrna Bahsma to the newborn followed by breastfeeding to a child.

Jatakarma (birth ride): The first Samskara to be done after birth is Jatakarma. The child is made to lick a mixture of honey and ghee while the mantras are being chanted.

Ritual of Jatakarma:

1. Entry: The entry is when the newborn child is brought into this world
2. Preparation: First, a spoon of honey, curds and clarified butter is given to the child to lick. Mantras specific to the ritual are whispered into the right ear or over the naval of the child. This is to give a long life to the child.
3. Climax: Then, the father touches the child’s shoulders and chants more mantras (still having hands on the child) while chanting verses from the three Vedas, the father breathes three times over the child.  This rite of Jatakarma also includes the breathing of five Brahmanas from the east Prana, Vyana, Apana, Udana, and Samana (these are the names of the five Vayus).
4. Celebration: While the father is chanting, the mother of the child offers him/her breast milk. The father of the child then bends down and touches the spot of earth where the child was born, still chanting the mantras. After this, the parents give a name to the new child. The father then bathes, shaves and purifies the house. He then performs Ha-van. All of the elements before this point are performed anywhere between the 10th to the 12th day after the child is born. The early rituals are important because it is proven that anything absorbed in the years up until age five, will stay set in the person's mind for life. The symbol for Om (the prayer word) is drawn on the tongue of the child with the end of the golden spoon, this is so that his words will lead him to spirituality.
5. Exit: The word “Vedosi” is whispered into the ear of the child by the father. This word means that you are a knowledgeable person, and this concludes the ceremony.

Nyepi is a Day to be Respectful

        Nyepi is unique in the world, i recommend you to visiting Bali during Nyepi which will be an eyes opening on one of the most wonderful culture and will as well let you reconnect with your inner self during this silent day of meditation.

       On Nyepi day itself, every street is quite. There are nobody doing their normal daily activities. There is usually Pecalangs (traditional Balinese security man) who controls and checks for street security. Pecalang wear a black uniform and a Udeng or Destar (a Balinese traditional "hat" that is usually used in ceremony). The Pecalangs main task is not only to control the security of the street but also to stop any activities that disturb Nyepi. No traffic is allowed, not only cars but also people, who have to stay in their own houses. Light is kept to a minimum or not at all, the radio or TV is turned down and no one works. The whole day is simply filled with the barking of a few dogs, the shrill of insect and is a simple long quiet day in the calendar of this otherwise hectic island. On Nyepi the world expected to be clean and everything starts anew, with Man showing his symbolic control over himself and the "force" of the World, hence the mandatory religious control.

FACT ABOUT NYEPI:
1. Nyepi is preceded by the Melasti ritual (3-4 days beforehand) performed near the sea, in order to purify sacred items from the temples. Melasti is meant to clean the pratima or arca or pralingga (statue), with symbols that help to concentrate the mind in order to become closer to God. The ceremony is aimed to clean all nature and its content, and also to take the Amerta (the source for eternal life) from the ocean or other water resources (lake, river, etc). Three days before Nyepi, all the effigies of the Gods from all the village temples are taken to the river in long and colourful ceremonies. There, they have are bathed by the Neptune of the Balinese Lord, the God Baruna, before being taken back home to their shrines.

2. One million litter of fuel is saved during Nyepi’s silent day. It is also prohibited to use electricity except in hospitals.

3. CO2 emissions are drastically reduced thanks to Nyepi. However, Ogoh-ogoh are not made of bio-degradable materials (5,000 of them are paraded every year).

4. Nyepi helps to conserve the wonderful and magical Balinese culture among younger generations (Ogoh-Ogoh are mostly made by children and was introduced recently in the 1980’s).

5. During Nyepi Day's, the island is free of traffic,noise,pollution, even the airport and Bali’s aerial space is closed!

6. Nyepi is the only time of the year and only place on Earth where you can do absolutely nothing without any guilt!

7. No hotels check in or check out on Nyepi Day. No shops are opened. Make sure to have kept food at home. Some hotels also propose a “Nyepi package” including meditation.

8. Even the most popular world surf spots are empty nobody is allowed to surf. And if you stay by the beach, it will be beautiful to witness!