Kopi Luwak Wild Civet Coffee, as with a fine wine, is highly appreciated by the coffee connoisseur. “Luwak” is the Indonesian name for the civet cat, which spends its nights rampaging through the coffee plantations. They inspect each berry meticulously and only choose to eat the ones that are perfectly ripened, containing just the right amount of water and acidity. The cats ability to discern the perfectly ripe beans is one reason why Kopi Luwak is such highly prized coffee.
The other reason is the unique processing the berries go through. Once the Luwak has ingested the ripe berries, a 100% natural process begins. The intestinal enzymes and juices of the Luwak remove any bitterness leaving a perfectly ‘cleansed’ coffee bean. Farmed civet coffee can be obtained, which does not guarantee the ripeness of the coffee. Wild Kopi Luwak coffee tastes like no other, and has no equal.
Aroma and taste
Over the last 20 years, civet coffee has been in high demand in several Western countries despite being a byproduct of animal waste. The beans are highly prized for their aroma and taste – said to be brought by the enzymes that mix with the coffee berries passing through the cat’s digestive tract.
The beans collected by pickers are washed, dried and roasted before they are packaged and sold for $200 to $400 a kilo in overseas markets.
Despite the market’s initial lukewarm response, civet Coffee turned out to be a hit among coffee lovers who were looking for a unique drink and curious customers who just wanted to have a sip of the priciest coffee in the world.
While sales of civet Coffee continues to be brisk until now, Reyes admits her business has been affected not only by PETA’s campaign to boycott civet coffee, but also by the proliferation of retailers selling civet coffee from caged cats.
In contrast to coffee producers who can easily pick civet cat droppings from underneath the animal’s cage, three mountain civet coffee source the beans from select suppliers who need to scour the forest for the precious excrement.
The labor-intensive process of sourcing coffee beans in the wild is one of the reasons why a kilo of Coffee Alamid retails for as much as $20-$100, pricier than some local brands selling civet coffee beans for $200 per kilo.
our company’s strict protocols for gathering beans in the wild has caused her to lose several suppliers after we discovered them caging the cats to make easy money.
“In the last five years, we haven’t opened new sites to harvest beans because we are very strict when it comes to ensuring the beans are sourced from the wild.
At present, majority of Coffee three mountain's beans are sourced from open harvesting sites in Mt. Gunung Tilu, pangalengan, jawa barat, Indonesia.
