Good To The Last Dropping of Kopi Luwak

Whenever you think coffee connoisseurs have come up with the strangest idea, just wait for this one. It will leave you holding your breath! What kind of coffee could possibly sell for prices ranging from $100 to $300 per pound? I present to you Kopi Luwak. An extremely rare coffee due to the fact that the beans are first processed through the intestinal track of a palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). Once thought of as only an urban legend, I now present you with the honest truth. This raccoon like animal has a sickly-sweet odor reminiscent of a striped skunk and loves the cherry like fruit that covers the coffee bean. Yes, ingested and deposited shortly thereafter, the beans are ripe for the picking. Once thought as a pest to the crop, these critters are now welcomed friends. Coffee pickers comb the civet's droppings for the berries and remove the husk. These yummy, choice beans are thoroughly washed, in other words, decrappinated, then roasted and ready for the brew. Oh boy, an aromatic brew it would be.
As for the taste, some laud Kopi Luwak coffee for its incredible aroma due to the civet only eating the ripest berries. They can’t pass it up; describing it by saying, The aroma is rich and strong, and the coffee is incredibly full bodied, almost syrupy. It's thick with a hint of chocolate, and lingers on the tongue with a long, clean aftertaste. Although, others are of the opinion that it is gamey and tastes like crap. They used to believe that the civet’s digestion did not get through the husk; however, now they know that is not the case. A study by a Canadian University, U of Guelph, Ontario – and I am glad our tax dollars did not pay for this – reported that the civet's stomach acids and enzymes digest the beans' cherry-like covering and ferment the beans themselves, before they're excreted. The Kopi Luwak coffee beans were found to be lower in total protein, meaning that proteins were partially broken down and leached out during their travel. Could this make a real difference in taste? Yes. However, I am not going to verify any of this for myself, thank you. No matter how special it is, it remains to me as crap in a cup. There are all types of excellent, exotic coffees that haven’t been recycled through a small, furry animal. Feel free to enjoy this one for yourself.

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Sea Island Coffee is based in Knightsbridge, London and is one of Europe’s leading importers of specialist coffees from around the world.

Each coffee offered delivers a wonderful and unique combination of taste, body and provenance supported and enhanced by an intriguing story that makes up what we call the “whole coffee experience”. This experience comes in part from the “cup quality” of each of our coffees and in part from the rareness, its exotic origin and the particular history behind each coffee. Together, the partners have over 50 years of unrivalled expertise and experience in growing, sourcing and importing rare, exotic, luxury coffees into Europe and the Far East.

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