Posted on 12/30/2005 6:33:05 AM PST by Kaslin
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Would you pay $175 for a pound of coffee beans which had passed through the backside of a furry mammal in Indonesia?
Apparently, some coffee lovers wanting to treat themselves to something special are lapping it up.
Kopi Luwak beans from Indonesia are rare and expensive, thanks to a unique taste and aroma enhanced by the digestive system of palm civets, nocturnal tree-climbing creatures about the size of a large house cat.
"People like coffee. And when they want to treat themselves, they order the Kopi Luwak," said Isaac Jones, director of sales for Tastes of The World, an online supplier of gourmet coffee, tea and cocoa.
Despite being carnivorous, civets eat ripe coffee cherries for treats. The coffee beans, which are found inside of the cherries, remain intact after passing through the animal.
Civet droppings are found on the forest floor near coffee plantations. Once carefully cleaned and roasted, the beans are sold to specialty buyers.
Jones said sales for Kopi Luwak rose three-fold just before the Christmas holiday compared with the first half of the year. The company started selling the rare coffee in February 2005.
He expects to sell around 200 pounds of the coffee this year, with orders coming from North America and Europe. So far, most of the orders have been from California.
Indonesia produces only about 500 kilograms, or roughly 1,100 pounds, of the coffee each year, making it extremely expensive and difficult to find.
"It's the most expensive coffee that we know about in the world," said Jones.
By comparison Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee, considered to be an expensive type, sells for $35 to $40 per pound, while a pound of Colombia's Supremo arabicas can be bought for about $14.
I'll pass.
YUK!
Tried it. Liked it a lot. But not at that price.
I don't know why, but I always question the value society places on things.
Replacing "Whine" (sp) on the Liberal party circuit?
I'd rather go to a local Peet's Coffee and get a half-pound of good Kona, Sumatra or Kenya AA coffee instead--at vastly lower prices!
Ok, here's the thing. Somebody had to be the first person who thought to themselves, "hey these mammal droppings would make excellent coffee."
Shouldn't there be a five second rule for the forest floor?
Saw a wino eating grapes once. I said, "Dude, you have to wait!" -late comedian
I first learned about this watching a "CSI" rerun on SpikeTV.
I just read the first sentence and will say absolutely, positively no way Jose! LOL
I love Illy coffee.
I'm trying to train my cat to eat coffee beans. Will keep you liberals posted.
"Do you know where hot dogs come from?"
They contain 'everything but the squeal,' I believe. ;)
I'll pass on this, too. Coffee we had in Hawaii was awesome, too. Not as good as the Jamaican Blue, but delish nonetheless.
What's that chicory/coffee blend here that Freepers have talked about before?
Me too
good point
I would try it. Cheese, beer, and Pu-erh tea undergo similar fermentation processing.
Lol!
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