Find Kopi Luwak Coffee

Kopi Luwak Coffee has a very unusual origin unlike any other coffee bean. The Luwak denizen (an animal of the cat family) of the coffee plantations of Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi, eats only the ripest coffee cherries. Unable to digest the coffee beans, the Luwak graciously deposits them on the jungle floor where they are eagerly collected by the locals. The stomach acids and enzymatic action involved in this unique fermentation process produces the beans for the world’s rarest coffee beverage.

“The secret of this delicious blend," enthuses the Indonesia Tourism Promotion Board, "lies in the bean selection, which is performed by a luwak, a species of civet cat endemic to Java. The luwak will eat only the choicest, most perfectly matured beans which it then excretes, partially digested, a few hours later. Plantation workers then retrieve the beans from the ground, ready for immediate roasting." The coffee has also become known to some people as civet coffee or weasel coffee.

Kopi Luwak Coffee began showing up in North America during the 1990s at the height of the gourmet coffee craze. It has been sold in the U.S. for up to $600 per pound and can fetch as much as $50 for a single brewed cup in fine restaurants around the world. Because of the rarity of this coffee, the price is quite high. You are paying for the experience of enjoying such an unusual and rare delicacy as well as a spectacular cup of coffee.

You may have seen Kopi Luwak Coffee in the 2007 movie, The Bucket List, where it is actor Jack Nicholson's beverage of choice and he carries a supply with him wherever he goes. This has become known as the Bucket List Coffee The Oprah Winfrey Show featured this coffee as well. And of course there are many documentaries shown on television- It is known as the most expensive coffee in the world and one that is well worth it.

What I don’t know about Kopi Luwak

Recently, I went back to Indonesia for 5 days. It is quite unusual, as most of the time I went back to Indonesia only once a year, approaching the end of Ramadhan month. It was a vacation, but somehow my agenda was quite packed, as I need to:

* visiting friends in Jombang
* casting my vote in the Legislative General Election (as reported by my brother, Taufan, in Bahasa Indonesia).
* celebrating Zaki’s 9th birthday. To think of it, it is a quite special number.. 9th birthday, at April 9th 2009. I gave him snorkeling gear complete with the swimming outfit (Thanks for my brother, Jufti, for allowing me to hijack his idea :$ )
* visiting friends in Surabaya (sadly, it didn’t happen, sorry guys & girls .. maybe next time :) )
* Shopping spree :$
* buying a pack of Kopi Luwak for a friend

Anyway, it was my Grandmother who told me about Kopi Luwak for the first time. As far as I remember, I was a very very small kid when she said to me that Luwak can make a very good coffee. It was B.G. (Before Google) and I was a very very small kid, so I totally have no idea at all, how Luwak looks like. But now, thanks to Google Images, a search with Luwak keyword will give you plenty images of Luwaks, their feeces + coffee, the packaging of Kopi Luwak, and surprisingly, Oprah Winfrey :) .

The problem is, where can I get Kopi Luwak in Jombang? I like coffee, but I never drink Kopi Luwak. Neither do any of my family members. Fortunately, my Father had heard before, that there are Kopi Luwak’s sellers in Kediri or Blitar. He made few calls, but none of them gave us good news. Running out of time, I settled with Bandung Presto. And my friend seems content for receiving Bandeng Presto, instead of Kopi Luwak.

So here I am now in Singapore, I am still curious about Kopi Luwak and decided to google for it. I found David Emery wrote that Kopi Luwak is not a myth. But do beware of the fake Kopi Luwak.