WHAT IS KOPI LUWAK?

Kopi Luwak is the world’s most exclusive (and most expensive) coffee. The main factor of its high price is the uncommon method of production. It is produced from coffee beans which have been partially digested by the Indonesian palm civet and then excreted. Yes, it sounds kind of gross, but not to worry! The outer layer of the coffee bean is removed during processing and the remaining beans are completely cleaned before being roasted and sent to you. 

Despite some misunderstanding, Kopi Luwak is not actually a type of coffee, but rather a method of production. Therefore, the taste may vary significantly depending on the source of the beans and the roasting process. Our beans are from the Pangalengan Highlands of West Java, Indonesia, the original and best location for Kopi Luwak production. Our beans are medium roasted because we feel that it gives them the best flavor. 

What does Kaya Kopi Luwak taste like? It is noticeably not bitter and is intensely aromatic. It has a complex flavor profile that is smooth, earthy and sweet with a hint of chocolate.

Please note: Due to the wild popularity of Kopi Luwak, several plantations farm raise palm civets, sometimes in deplorable conditions, to produce Kopi Luwak. On top of being inhumane, this results in inferior coffee because the civets digestive system is wrecked from an unbalanced diet. Part of the magic of Kopi Luwak comes from the healthy enzymes from the luwak. If the diet is defficient, this enzyamtic process won't be efficient. At Kaya Kopi, all of our civets live a 100% cage free and healthy life.

Learn more about Kopi Luwak...

Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee, and Luwak is the Indonesian word for a small ferret-like animal that has a resemblance to a cat. Hence, Kopi Luwak is often called cat poop coffee, the name many people are familiar with.

That name is not entirely accurate since civets, Asia Palm Civets to be precise, are not really cats. They are a related animal native to Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam.

The civets play an essential part in the production of Kopi Luwak or “cat poop coffee.” For starters, they are the gatekeepers of quality, because they sort through the coffee cherries and discard any low quality or damaged fruits. So straight away, Kopi Luwak contains only the highest quality coffee cherries.

In addition to helping select the best cherries, the flavor of the coffee is improved further by passing through the civet’s digestive system. A special enzymatic process occurs in the civets’ stomachs where acids interact with the beans. This causes the beans to become less acidic and smoother.

Is Kopi Luwak Clean and safe to drink?

YES! The beans are thoroughly cleaned and then roasted at a high temperature (over 400 Fahrenheit). Both processes ensure that Kopi Luwak is 100% safe to drink.

Look at it this way.  That juicy, marbled T-Bone steak is just a lump of dead animal. Farmed mushrooms grow on old chicken poo, potatoes grow in manure and cheese is nothing more than a lump of moldy, old milk.

Lots of the foods we love are weird if you think about them too much – but that doesn’t stop us eating them if they taste great, does it?

Please contact us if you have any questions about the process!

We Went to School...

At Kaya Kopi, we think education is an essential part of enjoying your cup of Joe. Therefore, we were excited to share some of our knowledge with one of our customer's daycare center. For example, did you know that coffee is the world's second most valuable commodity! Only oil is above it.  And as we mentioned above, coffee beans are not a bean at all. They are fruit pits. This helped the students understand Kopi Luwak. We explained how the civets eat the coffee cherry and then the remains are cleaned and turned into coffee! They were excited to give it a try!