Not Your Average Joe
The most expensive cup of coffee in the world is called Kopi Luwak. It sells for up to US$600 per pound and up to $40 a cup . It is said to have an incredibly delicate, complex flavor. You'll be happy to know that you can get it for only US$160/pound on the internet.
The Luwak is the Indonesian name for the civet, a kind of small cat-like mammal who likes to eat coffee berries (within the berry is the familiar coffee bean). People collect the whole, undigested beans from the civet's dung in the forest, wash and lightly roast it to create Kopi Luwak. As might be expected, the supply of this coffee is very limited and thus commands a high price. Besides Indonesia, this coffee is also produced in Vietnam and is called Weasel Coffee; obviously the marketing team haven't been around yet.
Despite a culling of civets due to SARS a few years ago, the demand for Kopi Luwak continues to grow.
Civets used also be a source of musk for the perfume industry but it was extracted by either killing the animal or by painfully scraping glands close to the anus. Most perfumers now use synthetic formulations.
The Luwak is the Indonesian name for the civet, a kind of small cat-like mammal who likes to eat coffee berries (within the berry is the familiar coffee bean). People collect the whole, undigested beans from the civet's dung in the forest, wash and lightly roast it to create Kopi Luwak. As might be expected, the supply of this coffee is very limited and thus commands a high price. Besides Indonesia, this coffee is also produced in Vietnam and is called Weasel Coffee; obviously the marketing team haven't been around yet.
Despite a culling of civets due to SARS a few years ago, the demand for Kopi Luwak continues to grow.
Civets used also be a source of musk for the perfume industry but it was extracted by either killing the animal or by painfully scraping glands close to the anus. Most perfumers now use synthetic formulations.
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