Kopi Luwak coffee, the Indonesian bean legendary for being digested by wild palm civet cats, is also famous as the most expensive coffee in the world. Despite its reputation and price, coffee connoisseurs often express disappointment when they get to taste kopi luwak. This is because the market is flooded with low-quality imitations of genuine wild kopi luwak. Some are outright fakes; others are inhumanely produced using caged civets and lack the complex characteristics of the real thing.
At Difference Coffee, we only source our Wild Kopi Luwak from Gayo Estate, which is the only certified wild luwak estate in Indonesia. Further, we only buy specialty grade Arabica beans that meet the strictest standards of the Specialty Coffee Association. They’re gathered humanely and sustainably and have a flavour profile that’s truly outstanding. Take one sip of this rare and exclusive Wild Kopi Luwak coffee and you’ll understand how the unique product became the most famous coffee in the world.
THE WILD KOPI LUWAK STORY
In Indonesia, “kopi” means coffee and “luwak” is the name for the native palm civet, a cat-like mammal that lives wild amidst tropical vegetation. Where the nocturnal civets’ natural habitat coincides with coffee plantations, they feast at night on the ripest, plumpest coffee cherries and leave the partially digested beans in their droppings.
During the 19th century, coffee farmers in Java were not permitted to drink any coffee grown for sale. Instead, they gathered civet droppings, washed the beans, then roasted and brewed them. The remarkable flavour of the coffee – delicate, smooth, full-bodied and complex with minimal bitterness – was a well-kept secret for more than a century. Today, its reputation has reached discerning coffee drinkers all over the world.
Scientists have attributed kopi luwak’s uncommon characteristics to the effects of enzymes in the civets’ digestive system. After passing through, the coffee beans are partially fermented and have an altered chemical composition. A secondary reason for the coffee’s exceptional flavour – one that only applies in the case of wild, rather than caged, civets – is that the animals naturally select the finest, ripest coffee cherries to eat. Inferior beans therefore never have the chance to become wild kopi luwak.
DIFFERENCE COFFEE'S WILD KOPI LUWAK
Given wild kopi luwak’s unusual journey from plant to cup, we take extra care in sourcing our beans from an estate with the most rigorous standards in place. Gayo Estate gathers kopi luwak beans left behind by 100-percent wild civets using sustainable techniques that involve zero interaction between the farmers and animals. We purchase the finest specialty grade Arabica beans, available only in small, limited edition lots, ensuring our Wild Kopi Luwak is some of the best in the world. Every bag we buy is professionally graded by our Q Graders so we’re certain it meets the strictest standards set forth by the Specialty Coffee Association.
If you’ve never tried this remarkable coffee, now available in nespresso compatible coffee pods, or been disappointed in the past by a poor-quality version, why not try the best? It’s available on our coffee shop page where you can also find out other best selling, Blue Mountain coffee capsules.
