Why Kopi Luwak is expensive

Kopi Luwak

Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee. Luwak is a local name of the Asian Palm Civet in Sumatra.  Kopi luwak or Civet coffee is originally from the Island of Sumatra and Java in Indonesia.

1830-1870 The Dutch prohibited the native farmers and plantation workers from picking coffee fruits for their own use, until the native learned that certain species civet (Luwak) consumed the coffee fruits, Civet left the coffee seeds undigested in their droppings. The native collected these luwak coffee seed dropping then cleaned, roasted & ground them to make their own coffee.

The fame of aromatic civet spread from locals to Dutch plantation owners and soon became the favorite because of its rarity and unusual process.

Taste:

Kopi luwak is name for any beans collected from the excrement  at civet. The taste may vary with the type and origin of the beans ingested, process, roasting, ageing and brewing. The ability of the civet to select its cherries and other aspects of the civet’s diet and health may also be influence the process of the taste.                                                                                                                                        Using rigorous coffee cupping for evaluation and comparing the same beans with and without the kopi luwak process, concluded, it was apparently that luwak coffee sold for the story not superior quality. Luwak scored two point below the lowest to the other three coffees. It was appear that luwak processing diminishes good quality and flavor and adds smoothness to  the body.

Production/Fermentation:

Coffee cherries are eaten by the civet for their fruits pulp after spending about a day  and a half in the civet’s digestive tract the beans are then defecated in clumps. In the process in which the animal’s stomach acids and enzymes digest the bean’s covering and ferment the beans. The civet endogenous digestive secretions seep into the beans. The secretion carry proteolytic  enzymes which break down the bean’s proteins, yielding shorter peptides and more free amino acids.

The flavor of the coffee owes much to its proteins, there is hypothesis  that this shift in the numbers and kinds of proteins in beans after being swallowed by civets and bring form their unique flavor. The proteins are also involved in non-enzymatic maillard browning reaction brought about later by roasting, while inside a civet the beans  begin to germinate by malting which also lower the bitterness.

Safety:

After the thorough washing the level of harmful organisms were insignificant and roasting at high temperature, has been cited as making the beans safer after washing.

Price:

Indonesia:          100g - $22.97
Singapore:          100g - SGD30 to SGD50
UK:                     100g - £23.00
Vietnam:            1kg - $185

                            " Its not that people are after the distinct flavor 

                               They are after the rarity of the coffee"