The most expensive coffee in the world comes from Indonesia. Its grains have an unusually mild taste with hints of caramel and chocolate-vanilla aroma. The drink itself is born thanks to a small animal.
Animal coffee
The most expensive "drink of the gods" in the world is the Indonesian coffee luwak. It owes its origin to an animal with very sad eyes - a palm civet. It is a small carnivorous mammal from the civerrids family that resembles a squirrel in its appearance.
Luwak coffee plantations are located on the islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi.
The most expensive type of coffee in the world is produced in a rather unusual way, and this is its zest. First, Indonesian farmers carefully harvest the coffee tree from the plantations in a traditional manner. After that, they feed fresh berries to the civets, who eat them with appetite.
The coffee in their stomach and intestines undergoes an exclusive processing due to special enzymes. The pulp of the berries is digested, and the grains are safely released naturally in an intact form, albeit together with animal excrement. Farmers carefully dry them in the sun, then rinse them thoroughly, then send them back to the sun and only then fry them a little.
Each animal is fed about a kilogram of ripe coffee berries per day. As a thank you, they bring the farmer only about 50 grams of the grains he needs.
The coffee made from Indonesian civets is famous for its subtle aroma and mild taste. True coffee lovers note the presence of unobtrusive notes of nougat, honey and butter in its taste, and in the aroma - a cocktail of chocolate and vanilla. Its taste is quite balanced and has a slight bitterness. However, coffee gourmets value not the taste more, but the stable and pleasant aftertaste of the most elite coffee in the world.
How much is the most expensive coffee
The retail price per pound (approximately 450 grams) of Luwak coffee ranges from $ 100 to $ 600. Some coffee shops offer this coffee for $ 30 a cup.
The supply of luwak coffee is very limited. Only 1,000 pounds of grains of this variety enter the market each year.
The high price of this variety is due to the fact that civets cannot breed in captivity. That is why it is possible to increase the production of this coffee only at the expense of wild individuals, which still need to be caught.
In addition, a special enzyme, for which this animal is so valued, is produced in its body only six months a year. For the remaining six months, farmers are forced to keep the civet "empty". Some even release their animals to the wild during downtime, and by the season they are caught again. It turns out to be more profitable than just feeding them for six months. Since they are predators by nature, farmers are not limited to one coffee ration. Meat should be present in the daily menu of civets - as a rule, they prefer to feed them with chicken.
