Kopi Luvak coffee is one of the most expensive and rare varieties of coffee. But he is known not for his "elite", but for an unusual way of processing.
If you carefully read the name of the coffee "Kopi Luwak" and find out the translation of the words, it will become partly clear how it is produced. The fact is that "kopi" in the local dialect (Indonesian) is "coffee", and "luwak" is the name of a small local predator of the civet family (Asian palm civet).
This cute animal, in my opinion, most of all looks like a cross between a marten, a cat and a rat. He has a medium length fur, an elongated muzzle, rounded ears, a long fluffy tail, short legs. Luwak is a predator, but he also eats coffee cherries, choosing the most ripe and sweet ones. Exactly until the English industrialist D. Robinson figured out how to make money on the civet, it was considered a pest and actively fought against it.
The secret of making "Kopi Luwak" coffee
The secret of this expensive coffee is that the civet does not completely digest the cherries it has eaten. Undigested coffee beans pass through the animal, acquiring a unique taste and bright aroma. The original notes of coffee taste are explained by the presence of the animal civet in the gastric juice, and also by the fact that wild civets choose the best cherries.
Today, industrial (so to speak) production of "Kopi Luwak" coffee has been established - the civetres live in pens and feed on the fruits of the coffee tree that people bring them.
After the "treatment" of the coffee beans with the palm civet, the coffee is harvested, washed, and subjected to heat treatment.
Those who have tried this type of coffee disagree about its taste. Many people find in it shades of chocolate, butter, caramel, a slight bitterness, and someone assures that the taste of this coffee is rough and there is a smack and aroma of mold and earth.
