- Summary of eRumor:
Kopi Luwak is a rare and gourmet
coffee from Indonesia that is made from beans passed through the
digestive system of monkeys.
- The Truth:
Kopi Luwak does exist, is very expensive, and is made from coffee
beans passed through the digestive system of an Indonesian animal, but
it's more of a cat than a monkey. According to a feature article
by the Manila Coffee House, which sells the stuff, the people who
harvest the digested beans don't really have to pick through cat
litter to get it. The animal processes the beans and excretes
them whole, unscratched, and without dung.
The animal is a palm civet, a dark brown tree-dwelling cat found
throughout Southeast Asia. The scientific name is paradoxunis
hermaphroditus.
According to the Manila Coffee House, the palm civet just happens to
like to ingest the ripest and reddest coffee beans, which also happen
to be the ones best for brewing. The cat eats the outer covering
of the beans in the same way that is accomplished by de-pulping
machines. Something happens to the beans in the journey through
the cat's intestines that gives it a flavor that is celebrated by
coffee drinkers.
At this point, most of the beans are purchased by Japanese buyers.
Flowering coffee
tree |
Coffee Cherries
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Luwak |
Luwak Poop, or
"kopi"! |
A real example of the story as it has
been circulated:
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BEST COFFEE MADE FROM MONKEY POO; CRAPPUCCINO
DAILY STAR
Wed Nov 21 2001 10:22:30 ET Coffee drinkers are going bananas over a brew
that's made of MONKEY DUNG. This coffee is now available (2012) for
only $190/lb!
CLICK HERE
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For more current information
as of July, 2004, click HERE
Even more current, 2005, click HERE
OK, it's 2012, and Kopi Luwak is now mainstream.
CLICK HERE or
HERE
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Please NOTE that
Colorado Coffee Exchange does NOT carry Kopi Luwak! |
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