Kopi Luwak

as sampled by Matthew Gorman

Ever heard someone say "This coffee tastes like shit!"? Chances are they weren't talking about Kopi Luwak - a variety of coffee from Indonesia - although the coffee beans actually have, in fact, been passed through something's pooper. And that something is the Paradoxurus hermaphroditus, or Common Palm Civet, a small, cat-like mammal. The name Kopi Luwak literally translates to Civet Coffee (Kopi being the Indonesian word for coffee, and Luwak, the local name for the Palm Civet) No shit! (well, actually I imagine there's some shit)

On the Indonesian islands of Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi, the Palm Civet commonly snacks on its favorite food, the coffee cherry. The beans inside the cherry, however, remain undigested and are eventually excreted by the animal. It is thought that certain enzymes in the Palm Civet's stomach help break down the proteins in the beans that can give coffee a bitter taste. Natives gather these "modified" beans which they then sell to dealers who, in turn, sell them for exorbitant prices to adventurous coffee lovers the world over. The beans can fetch prices of up to $300 a pound! Truly an expensive vice. Although, pound for pound, it's still cheaper than pot.

The "process" of Civet Coffee is not limited to the Indonesian archipelago either. In the Philippines the coffee is known as Kape Alamid, and in Vietnam it's moniker translates to "weasel coffee", although the "weasel" in question is just a local species of Civet.

Aficionados of the coffee brewed from these butt nugget beans say it has a rich, unsurpassed caramel flavor with notes of (snicker!) chocolate, and it is in high demand despite its hefty price tag. Even a 2004 SARS scare in Asia, which identified the Palm Civet as a possible source for the disease, did little to deter enthusiasm for this "crappy" coffee. Nuk, nuk, nuk.