COFFEE~!

[beltman]

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Kopi Luwak gourmet coffee

The Palm Civet or marsupial luwak of Indonesia a tree climbing animal that ranges in weight from three to ten pounds uses it’s sense of smell and eyesight to seek out it’s favorite treat the ripest coffee cherries. The Palm Civet or Luwak passes the cherry through the digestive track where the beans exit the animal basically intact. The beans are then patiently harvested from the forest floor near coffee plantations carefully cleaned and roasted.

The beans are usually given a light to dark roast to avoid destruction of the complex flavors which have developed through the process. This “unique processing” is said to give the resulting coffee a rich, heavy flavor with some hints of caramel or chocolate. Some other words used to describe this cup of joe by those fortunate enough to try it have been earthy, musty and exotic with syrupy body and smooth flavor.

The University of Guelph did a study in which they examined the chemical and physical properties of the Kopi Luwak coffee bean and compared them to that of a “regular” coffee bean. Their results are quite interesting. They found the unroasted Kopi Luwak coffee beans had more red and yellow tones than a Columbian coffee bean. They also found the Kopi Luwak gourmet coffee bean to have less total protein, less bacterial count, some pitting on the surface of the coffee bean and different compounds. This may explain why the Kopi Luwak coffee is said to be less bitter and have a different aroma than other gourmet coffee.

Although this gourmet coffee’s exact date of discovery is not known. The strange origins of this rare gourmet coffee make it labor-intensive and time-consuming to produce. Gourmet coffee lovers are willing to pay a premium for this rare and exotic blend and consider it worth the effort and trouble involved.

[afortaliza]

ka grabe sad ana bai oy... kape sa tai ra ering... ultimo gani kung makahikap ta ug tae sa ering.. baho naman gani kaayo.... unsa na kaha kung ato na gyod imnon... bahala nang suholan ug usa ka milyon dili gyod ko... hehehehe...

[justerini]

can't stop laughing reading all these!!! hahahahaha. ahak uy! kinsa man nag pauso ana ba!

[junenine]

Maka ayo ba na sa lawas... unsa may makuha nato nga benefits kon moinom ta ana? Makata-as ba na's kinabuhi?

[MandYX]

ang imong dug-ab kay NGIYAWWWWWWWWW na....... bwahhhhhhh... bahala namo oi,,,, hala inma

[limsitek]

better call this pussy drink

[Salma]

Indonesians Enjoy Civet-Dropping Coffee ABC News Tuesday January 20, 2004

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) - SARS fears have stopped the Chinese from eating civet cats. But that hasn't turned off others from sipping the strangest of brews - one they insist is made from coffee beans eaten, partly digested and then excreted by the weasel-like animals.
The story goes like this: Civets live in the foliage of plantations across Southeast Asia. These fussy foragers pick the best and ripest coffee berries. Enzymes in their digestive system break down the flesh of the fruit before the animals expel the bean.

Workers collect beans from the plantation floor, wash away the dung and roast them to produce a unique drink that devotees might say is good to the last dropping.

Skeptics, though, dismiss it all as a weird and unverifiable marketing gimmick. Still in Indonesia's capital Jakarta, the owner of three fashionable cafes, Agus Susanto, sells what he claims is a mix of regular beans and those that have passed through civets. The blend and the cafes are both called "Kopi Luwak" - in English: "Civet Coffee."

"Our coffee has a strong taste and an even stronger aroma," Susanto said by telephone from his factory in central Java.

In Vietnam, now the world's second-largest regular coffee grower, a blend supposedly containing some civet beans is produced by the Trung Nguyen company under the "Weasel Coffee" brand.

In the Philippines, the Old Manila Coffee House used to sell a civet brew, but supplies have dwindled over the years, said Ellen Tuason, its finance officer.

"Some of our guests said it was an aphrodisiac. It has a strong coffee smell, but different. There is a distinct odor and flavor," she said.

The beans are also marketed internationally. Several US-Internet based coffee traders claim to offer them for up to $150 a pound, ($325 a kilogram) making among the world's most expensive beverages.

However, many in Asia's coffee trade doubt whether the beans are truly produced in significant quantities, if at all.

"There are maybe a few bags here, a few bags there, but mostly its just a myth," said Victor Mah, a Singaporean who has been selling coffee from Southeast Asia for more than 25 years.

Others just won't swallow the claims.

"I think it's a big scam," said Mark Hanusz, who spent eight months traveling Indonesia researching his book about coffee called "A Cup of Java."

In the past few weeks, authorities in southern China have exterminated thousands of civet cats on fears that they carry and spread the severe acute respiratory syndrome virus.

The World Health Organization also sees a potential relationship between the furry black and white animals and the disease that killed 774 people worldwide last year.

If that link is confirmed, consumer interest in civet coffee could plummet.

But in Jakarta, Susanto isn't worried. He expects to keep selling what he claims is 100 metric tons (110 tons) of civet coffee a month.

"There are many different kinds of civets in this world. The Indonesian ones are different from those in China," he said.

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NOTE: dili iring ang Civet cat....lahi sila nga klase sa mammals...different sila sa mga iring

[unofficialplayer]

ah ok. so this "pseudo cat" is the "cat" that came under suspicion for the SARS outbreak. geez. thanks for the info.

[ianex]

ahhahahahahahahah... iring na jud diay ka ug tingog!

Lain jud paninawon oi, tae na gud na!

[ballet_flats_gurl]

gitawag ma na sya ug coffee alamid lami ka ayo galing ang problema mahal ka ayo pero im sure pag matikaman nyo hanap hanapin nyo!!! ang tae sa iring he, he, he gusto nyong tumikim? nan dito kasi ako s laguna malapit lang ako sa manila dun sa nag bebenta... c",)

ive seen dat coffe alamid gi featured sa tv...lami?have u tryd?diba expensive man na?