I finally managed to try something relatively exotic that I'd heard of for a long time... Kopi Luwak, or civet cat coffee. Kopi is the Indonesian imported word for "coffee", and luwak for civet. It's basically coffee produced from coffee beans that have been eaten by civet cats, digested and passed out as droppings. Of course, the coffee beans are cleaned and processed appropriately before they reach you.
Sounds gross? Well, actually many foods are processed before reaching us anyway, such as washing eggs or innards from chickens or pigs before turning them into sausage or other foods. So I didn't think this was an issue.
Nonetheless, this product has been flamed by critics for other reasons, as the Wikipedia page on kopi luwak summarises. Firstly, it says that there are animal rights issues. I'm not sure it is worse than foie gras or other normal foods grown in unregulated places, however, so I won't comment. The second point of criticism is that for all the hype, there's nothing spectacular about the taste of the actual brewed coffee. Thirdly, people say it's hard to find the genuine article.
A relative purchased a box of these from Bali, Indonesia, so the only way to learn was to try it for myself - both with and without milk.
We brewed it the typical local way... putting the coffee powder into a "sock" and running boiling water through it, or just steeping it in hot water like you would tea.
And the result was actually most impressive. This kopi luwak took away all that I had disliked about coffee... firstly, it had almost no acidity, but retained its coffee aroma and normal bitter flavour! This allowed me to savour the rich and smooth aroma of the coffee.
Secondly, it didn't produce any coffee breath, possibility because of the low acidity. So kopi luwak seems the perfect coffee to drink if you're meeting clients after that or cannot afford to have coffee breath.
Sounds gross? Well, actually many foods are processed before reaching us anyway, such as washing eggs or innards from chickens or pigs before turning them into sausage or other foods. So I didn't think this was an issue.
Nonetheless, this product has been flamed by critics for other reasons, as the Wikipedia page on kopi luwak summarises. Firstly, it says that there are animal rights issues. I'm not sure it is worse than foie gras or other normal foods grown in unregulated places, however, so I won't comment. The second point of criticism is that for all the hype, there's nothing spectacular about the taste of the actual brewed coffee. Thirdly, people say it's hard to find the genuine article.
In terms of the actual flavour, it was not fruity at all, possibly related to the low acidity. I would describe it as more chocolatey and similar to other single origin coffees from the Indonesian region, such as Java or Papua perhaps. (I don't mean fruity ones such as Sumatra Gayo of course.) I wonder if that was a contributing factor to the low acidity I noticed.
The difference between this and normal coffees reminds me of the difference between cheap and good quality wines. Good quality wines aren't sour, and are very smooth, and you can appreciate the flavour (is that called the body?) of the fermented fruit without the extra sourness. When I first drank this, I thought likewise.
In fact, it comes very close to cold-brew coffee (or cold drip coffee). I didn't have cold-brew coffee on hand to compare, but from a previous experience, there wasn't much of a difference. Cold brew is also noted to be less acidic. And as you know, cold-brew coffee is trending these couple of years, with many good reviews on it, like this.
One difference would be that kopi luwak retains the bitterness, which I did not remember in cold brew. Furthermore, cold-brew coffee may be fruitier, as the interviewee in the review described. But I wonder if that is related to the origin of the beans, as Indonesian beans tend to be less fruity and more chocolatey. Finally, the benefit of kopi luwak over cold-brew coffee is that you can brew it at home with hot water the normal simple way, like tea, without having to purchase some elaborate and probably expensive cold-brewing equipment.
Next up, I tried it with fresh milk... and it was also awesome. The creaminess of the milk complemented the smoothness and aroma of the coffee perfectly! Usually, I dislike acidic coffee with fresh milk, but am fine with local Southeast Asian Nanyang coffee with condensed milk because the condensed milk complements the acidity of the coffee in an acceptable way. But well, this particular Southeast Asian coffee went well with normal fresh milk.
So back to the controversies mentioned: It seems like there IS a significant difference from normal coffees. Furthermore, I'm sure I got the genuine article because there was such a distinct taste.
The only downside is its high price, between US$100 and $600 per pound in 2010, according to Wikipedia. I think this small box of five packets cost SGD18-19. Each packet makes about 1 cup. So that's about S$3.60 for a homemade cup, in contrast to say, Nespresso, which is about S$0.80-1.20 per cup.
Finally, I also read that authentic "wild-range" kopi luwak should put to rest animal welfare concerns and also result in better quality coffee, because civet cats are able to select higher quality coffee beans as they graze for food, contributing to the higher quality of kopi luwak.
The difference between this and normal coffees reminds me of the difference between cheap and good quality wines. Good quality wines aren't sour, and are very smooth, and you can appreciate the flavour (is that called the body?) of the fermented fruit without the extra sourness. When I first drank this, I thought likewise.
In fact, it comes very close to cold-brew coffee (or cold drip coffee). I didn't have cold-brew coffee on hand to compare, but from a previous experience, there wasn't much of a difference. Cold brew is also noted to be less acidic. And as you know, cold-brew coffee is trending these couple of years, with many good reviews on it, like this.
Still, why would cold brew and kopi luwak might have similarities? For cold brew, the difference in temperature and process causes the extraction of flavours to change significantly. Perhaps the digestion process of the kopi luwak beans has similar results to the cold brew process because the acidity is lowered by the end.
Next up, I tried it with fresh milk... and it was also awesome. The creaminess of the milk complemented the smoothness and aroma of the coffee perfectly! Usually, I dislike acidic coffee with fresh milk, but am fine with local Southeast Asian Nanyang coffee with condensed milk because the condensed milk complements the acidity of the coffee in an acceptable way. But well, this particular Southeast Asian coffee went well with normal fresh milk.
The only downside is its high price, between US$100 and $600 per pound in 2010, according to Wikipedia. I think this small box of five packets cost SGD18-19. Each packet makes about 1 cup. So that's about S$3.60 for a homemade cup, in contrast to say, Nespresso, which is about S$0.80-1.20 per cup.
After this experience, I do understand why the prices might be so high. And a coffee connoisseur with keener taste buds might also notice distinct differences between cold brew coffee and kopi luwak, making them willing to pay for the difference.
Finally, I also read that authentic "wild-range" kopi luwak should put to rest animal welfare concerns and also result in better quality coffee, because civet cats are able to select higher quality coffee beans as they graze for food, contributing to the higher quality of kopi luwak.
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