Kopi luwak
Kopi luwak, also known as civet coffee, is a coffee
that consists of partially digested coffee cherries,
which have been eaten and defecated by the Asian
palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). The
cherries are fermented as they pass through a civet's
intestines, and after being defecated with other fecal
matter, they are collected.[1] Asian palm civets are
increasingly caught in the wild and traded for this
purpose.[2]
Kopi luwak is produced mainly on the Indonesian
islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali, Sulawesi, and in East
Timor. It is also widely gathered in the forest or
produced in farms in the islands of the Philippines,
[3]
where the product is called kape motit in the Cordillera
region, kapé alamíd in Tagalog areas, kapé melô or
kapé musang in Mindanao, and kahawa kubing in the
Sulu Archipelago.
Kopi luwak is also produced in Palawan's Langogan
Valley. The beans from droppings of the Asian palm civet and
Palawan binturong (Arctictis binturong whitei) are collected from
the forest floor and cleaned.[4][5]
Producers of the coffee beans argue that the process may improve
coffee through two mechanisms: selection, where civets choose to
eat only certain cherries; and digestion, where biological or
chemical mechanisms in the animals' digestive tracts alter the
composition of the coffee cherries.
The traditional method of collecting feces from wild Asian palm
civets has given way to an intensive farming method, in which the
palm civets are kept in battery cages and are force-fed the cherries. This method of production has raised
ethical concerns about the treatment of civets and the conditions they are made to live in, which include
isolation, poor diet, small cages, and a high mortality rate.[6][7][8]
Although kopi luwak is a form of processing rather than a variety of coffee, it has been called one of the
most expensive coffees in the world, with retail prices reaching US$100 per kilogram for farmed beans
and US$1,300 per kilogram for wild-collected beans.[9] Another epithet given to it is that it is the "Holy
Grail of coffees."[10]
An Asian palm civet
Defecated luwak coffee
berries in East Java
The origin of kopi luwak is closely connected to the history of coffee production in Indonesia; Dutch
colonialists established coffee plantations in Indonesia and imported beans from Yemen. In the 19th
century, farmers in central Java started to brew and drink coffee from excreted beans collected at their
plantations.[11]
Kopi luwak is brewed from coffee beans that traversed the
gastrointestinal tract of an Asian palm civet, and were thus
subjected to a combination of acidic, enzymatic, and fermentation
treatment. During digestion, digestive enzymes and gastric juices
permeate through the endocarp of coffee cherries and break down
storage proteins, yielding shorter peptides. This alters the
composition of amino acids and impacts the aroma of the coffee.
In the roasting process, the proteins undergo a non-enzymatic
Maillard reaction.
[12] The palm civet is thought to select the most
ripe and flawless coffee cherries. This selection influences the
flavour of the coffee, as does the digestive process. The beans begin to
germinate by malting, which reduces their bitterness.[13] When performed
in nature, or in the wild, these two mechanisms achieve the same goal as
selective picking and the wet or washed process of coffee milling: 1)
harvesting optimally ripe cherries and 2) mechanically and chemically
removing the pulp and skin from the cherry, leaving mainly the seed.[14]
Traditionally, excreted coffee beans were collected directly in plantations
and forests. As the international demand for kopi luwak increased, some
producers turned to caged production methods to increase yields. In 2014,
the annual kopi luwak production was grossly estimated at less than
127 kg (280 lb). It is produced in Indonesia, East Timor, the Philippines,
Thailand, Vietnam and Ethiopia.
[15]
The taste of kopi luwak varies with the type and origin of excreted beans, processing, roasting, aging, and
brewing. The ability of the civet to select its berries, and other aspects of the civet's diet and health, like
stress levels, may also influence the processing and hence taste.[16]
Within the coffee industry, kopi luwak is widely regarded as a gimmick or novelty item. The Specialty
Coffee Association of America (SCAA) states that there is a "general consensus within the industry...it
just tastes bad". A coffee professional compared the same beans with and without the kopi luwak process
using a rigorous coffee cupping evaluation. He concluded: "it was apparent that luwak coffee sold for the
story, not superior quality...Using the SCAA cupping scale, the luwak scored two points below the lowest
History
Production
Taste
A cup of kopi luwak from Gayo,
Takengon, Aceh
Asian palm civet in a cage
of the other three coffees. It would appear that the luwak
processing diminishes good acidity and flavor and adds
smoothness to the body, which is what many people seem to note
as a positive to the coffee.”[17] Professional coffee tasters were
able to distinguish kopi luwak from other coffee samples, but
remarked that it tasted "thin".[18] Some critics claim more
generally that kopi luwak is simply bad coffee, purchased for
novelty rather than taste.[17][19][20] A food writer reviewed kopi
luwak available to American consumers and concluded "It tasted
just like...Folgers. Stale. Lifeless. Petrified dinosaur droppings
steeped in bathtub water. I couldn't finish it."[21]
Several commercial processes attempt to replicate the digestive process of the civets without animal
involvement. Researchers with the University of Florida have been issued with a patent for one such
process.[22][23] Brooklyn-based food startup Afineur has also developed a patented fermentation
technology that reproduces some of the taste aspects of Kopi Luwak while improving coffee bean taste
and nutritional profile.[24][25][26]
Vietnamese companies sell an imitation kopi luwak, made using an enzyme soak which they claim
replicates the civet's digestive process.[27]
Imitation has several motivations. The high price of kopi luwak drives the search for a way to produce
kopi luwak in large quantities. Kopi luwak production involves a great deal of labour, whether farmed or
wild-gathered. The small production quantity and the labor involved in production contribute to the
coffee's high cost.[28]
Imitation may be a response to the decrease in the civet population.[29]
Growing numbers of intensive civet "farms" have been established
and are operated in Southeast Asia, confining tens of thousands of
animals to live in battery cages and be force-fed.[30][31][32] "The
conditions are awful, much like battery chickens", said Chris
Shepherd, deputy regional director of TRAFFIC in Southeast Asia.
"The civets are taken from the wild and have to endure horrific
conditions. They fight to stay together but they are separated and
have to bear a very poor diet in very small cages. There is a high
mortality rate and for some species of civet, there's a real
conservation risk. It is spiraling out of control".[6] The trade in
palm civets for the production of kopi luwak may constitute a
significant threat to wild populations.[2]
Imitation
Animal welfare
A window display in an
upscale coffee shop
showing kopi luwak in forms
of defecated clumps
(bottom), unroasted beans
(left) and roasted beans
(right)
In 2013, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) investigators found wild-caught civets on
farms in Indonesia and the Philippines. They were deprived of exercise, proper diet, and space. Video
footage from the investigation shows abnormal behaviours such as repeated pacing, circling, or biting the
bars of their cages. The animals often lose their fur.
[33] A BBC investigation revealed similar conditions.
Farmers using caged palm civets in north Sumatra confirmed that they supplied kopi luwak beans to
exporters whose produce ends up in Europe and Asia.[8] Tony Wild, the coffee executive responsible for
bringing kopi luwak to the Western world, has stated he no longer supports using kopi luwak due to
animal cruelty and launched a campaign called "Cut the Crap" to halt the use of kopi luwak.[34]
Kopi luwak is one of the most expensive coffees in the world, selling for
between $220 and $1,100 per kilogram ($100 and $500/lb) in 2010. The
price paid to collectors in the Philippines is closer to US$20 per
kilogram.[16] The specialty Vietnamese weasel coffee, which is made by
collecting coffee beans eaten by wild civets, is sold at US$500 per
kilogram.[35] Most customers are Asian, especially those originating from
Japan, China, and South Korea.[36]
Some specialty coffee shops sell cups of brewed kopi luwak for US$35–
80.[37][38][39]
Investigations by PETA and the BBC found fraud to be rife in the kopi
luwak industry, with producers willing to label coffee from caged civets
with a "wild sourced" or similar label.[33][8]
Genuine kopi luwak from wild civets is difficult to purchase in Indonesia
and proving it is not fake is very difficult – there is little enforcement
regarding use of the name "kopi luwak", and there's even a local cheap coffee brand named "Luwak",
which costs under US$3 per kilogram but is occasionally sold online under the guise of real kopi luwak.
Coffee beans can be "seeded" with the same microbes as in civet gut to produce the same coffee flavor
without having to deal with civet excrement.[10]
The binturong is also sometimes kept captive for production of kopi luwak.[40][41]
There are reports of a kopi luwak type process occurring naturally with muntjac and birds. Bat coffee is
another variation that is in demand. Bats feed on the ripest coffee and fruits and spit out the seeds. These
seeds are dried and processed to make coffee with a slight fruity flavor.
[42][43]
Price and availability
Authenticity and fraud
Variations
In the movie The Bucket List, billionaire health care magnate Edward Cole (played by Jack Nicholson)
brings kopi luwak with him on all of his travels, but is unaware of how the drink is produced.[44] Carter
Chambers (Morgan Freeman) explains how civets defecate kopi luwak coffee beans, and that the gastric
juices of the defecated beans give kopi luwak its unique aroma.
The Japanese manga series Beastars features an anthropomorphic civet character named Deshico that
produces kopi luwak
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