Kopi Luwak - Some Very Expensive Coffee

In the 1990s a strange type of coffee entered North America. This special coffee has sold for as much as $600 per pound and a single cup of brewed Kopi Luwak coffee can sell for as much as $30. On the Indonesian island of Sumatra lives a civet-like creature called a Paradoxurus. The locals simply refer to this animal as a luwak. These small animals live in the trees and truly enjoy eating the red, ripe coffee cherries. Luwaks only eat the choicest, most perfectly matured coffee beans. As the coffee beans pass through the luwak's digestive system, they undergo a special chemical treatment that actually removes most of the bitterness from the coffee beans. The excreted coffee beans are harvested from the forest floor, cleaned with spring water, then roasted and ground just like any other coffee. The Indonesian word for coffee is "kopi", hence the name Kopi Luwak. The aroma of brewed Kopi Luwak coffee is rich and strong. The coffee is full bodied with hints of caramel or chocolate. The consistency is very smooth and almost like syrup. Even though many people say that Kopi Luwak is just not worth the price, others consider it paying for the experience of such an unusual phenomenon.