Civet Coffee

Kopi luwak or civet coffee, is the most expensive coffee in the world, that includes part-digested coffee cherries eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet cat (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). Fermentation occurs as the cherries pass through a civet’s intestines, and after being defecated with other fecal matter. The feces of this cat are collected, processed and sold.

It is highly priced because it is claimed to be more nutritious and high cost involved in sourcing the animal dropping, wastage during processing and quality certification. Civet coffee, a drink of elite consumed widely in the Gulf nations and Europe. The traditional method of collecting feces from wild civets has given way to intensive farming methods in which civets in battery cage systems are force-fed the cherries. This method of production has raised ethical concerns about the treatment of civets due to “horrific conditions” including isolation, poor diet, small cages and a high mortality rate.

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.