The feces of the palm civet cat are used for which human product?

In Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines, the palm civet cat feces are rare as gold. The coffee beans pass through the cat's digestive system almost unaffected, but some fermentation does occur. In the proper farming of these defecated beans, the civet cats are wild, and the farmers go out and collect the beans daily. Those who keep civet cats caged are deeply frowned upon.

The coffee is known as kopi luwak, and is considered to be the most expensive in the world. In a coffee shop one could expect to pay between $35 and $100 per cup, and per pound it sells up to $600.

The short supply and high demand, the unique taste and the uncommon production process are what drives the price of this coffee so high.

It is advised to not use cream or sugar in this coffee as to enjoy its exquisite flavour.

More Info: www.most-expensive.coffee

Test your knowledge

What are your thoughts on this subject?

81 Comments

Linda Lochrie

I saw these animals at an Indonesian coffee factory. They are kept individually in tiny cages so even if you have a taste for the exotic just remember you will be contributing to the cruelty of these little creatures. I stuck to lemon tea. 😕😢

Carole Cottrell

Has turned into a cruel industry. Nobody NEEDS to buy this product.

lls

A cruel thing to put an animal of the wild through...

Deborah O'Neill

Thank goodness I can’t afford it.

Larry Freeman

They don't 'USE' the feces as coffee--they extract the beans FROM the feces: BIG DIFFERENCE! I've had some to drink... I guess it's an acquired taste; I didn't much like it, at least not at those prices!

Julie Rinehart

This sounds like crappy coffee.

Rita Dee

Linda Lochrie, thank you for sharing that info, it isn't a surprise humans will exploit anything for a profit, sadly animals suffer the most. I don't like coffee and mostly I do not contribute to anything where animals suffer.

Cheryl Love

The coffee from this source is very rare and very expensive, so those who regularly drink coffee don’t need to be upset; you’re not drinking this kind. Here’s the background: “In the 1600s the Dutch arrived in Indonesia, establishing a colony known as the Dutch East Indies. They brought with them imports of Arabica coffee, and began to cultivate it. However, in the 1830, they implemented a cultivation system (Cultuurstelsel) where they forbade the harvesting of coffee cherries by the native coffee farmers. This left a portion of the native Indonesian population, who formerly relied on coffee farming to support themselves and their families, without any income. Desperate, Indonesian farmers discovered they could get around this by scavenging the beans from the partially digested excrement of the Asian palm civet, and thus Kopi Luwak came into existence.”

Bank-Robber

Now I know WHY I do Not like coffee!!!

Isn't this the same coffee referenced in that movie where the two guys had a 'bucket list' - the rich guy's (Jack Nickleson) favorite beverage?

Brian Reynolds

Our cruelty to animals knows no bounds and with the continued loss of habitat most species don't have much to look forward to.

Akeel1701

They're using the American spelling here

stevedebako

Faeces surely

Raymond Cardona

Uh no thanks I think I’ll pass on this coffee. Bonnie

jendim

Linda Lochrie, that is so sad. Thanks for letting us know.

Deana Sinatra

I have some in my freezer :)

Ralph A. Caya

Black Rifle Coffee is the best coffee ever

Sandie de Rougemont

Knew that 👍

Rae Ann Randall

Why on earth?????

Donna Smith

Missed it..GLAD I DON'T DRINK COFFEE ANYMORE GROSS

Janice Lea Vanlandingham

Cheryl McMeekin, well it is like a lot of folks that won't eat things like say escargot once they know the origin snails eeeww (right?) But harvested and prepared properly... delicious. So unless you have a deadly allergy (nuts) don,'t ask and enjoy. I speak from experience. There are a lot of things that our rather puritanical minds keep us in our "lane" so to speak.I grew up in a military family.so there was a great probabilty that any thing could land on our plates.