I love reading more than writing. Actually, I have many things to say but I'm too lazy to type and manually translate them. My grammar also sucks so that's also a problem. Anyway, I always feel that this tiny blog of mine is slowly dying but fortunately I found that TIL's are quite in the hype and it might answer my dream of curing my degenerative laziness of posting regularly, so let me join the fun. XD
For today I learnt something really cool. It is about the world's most precious poop. It sounds quite gross but I think it's bizarre and amazing at same time, especially if you add the fact that it belongs to the food category. Well to be more specific, this poop-coffee is taken as top tier product in the gourmet world. Hahaha. Are you curious now? Let's start with the discussion about the most expensive poop, I mean coffee.
The Cat, the Poop and the Coffee
The most expensive coffee on our planet is made from poop. Okay, it's not entirely poop but partially digested coffee cherries which were eaten and pooped out by the Asian Palm Civet(Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). In the Philippines we call them alamid. These guys are present in most South and South East Asian countries. The largest poop-coffee industries are located in Indonesia and that is one of the reasons why this unique coffee is globally branded as Kopi Luwak.[1][2]
The Cat Civet
The first thing you need to know about the asian palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) is that they are not hermaphrodites. Obviously, the male and female species are identifiable and they cannot reproduce alone like earthworms.
Due to their appearance they are often called 'cats' or 'weasel cats' because of their physical similarities with both animals. Actually, their genetics associates them more as cousins of weasels and mongooses. They typically weigh around 1.4-4.5 kg, have an average length (from head to tail) of 17 -28 in. and live up to 15-20 years.[3]
Asian palm civets are solitary and nocturnal animals. They like to move alone in the night to hunt for food. Like most civets they usually leave a scent or a mark to help them navigate easily, especially during the night. They are ground dwelling but can easily adapt to circumstances and climb trees depending on the situation. They are usually driven to climb trees mostly because of avoiding a predator or catching a prey.
Although we know that they feed on coffee cherries it is merely their supplementary diet. They are actually carnivores that prey on insects, frog and small snakes. They supplementary diet consists of fruits like mangoes and coffee cherries.
The Poop and The Coffee
Coffee beans are actually seeds. When the coffee fruits are eaten by the civets some of the pulp and the coverings are separated by digestion. The coffee seeds are fermented with the help of natural enzymes that are present inside the civets digestive track.
The civet's protease enzymes seep into the beans, making shorter peptides and more free amino acids.
According to Food Scientist Massimo Marcone, during the digestion the seeds germinate by malting which altered the protein structure of the seed. Malting reduces the bitterness and adds the unique flavor of the coffee .
The seeds are usually defecated in clumps and believe it or not although these seeds are considered there is very little amount of pathogens present.[4] These might be because of the enzymes present in the civet and the natural defense of the see, caffeine.
If the farmers harvested these seeds within 24 hours it can be considered as top quality. After harvesting the seeds are rinsed several times, dried manually or artificially(depends on the preference), pounded(to remove the excess skin coverings), sorted (usually depending to size, the bigger the seed the higher the quality) and finally roasted.[5]
Coffee Issues
Because this kopi luwak is in demand and the market price is really high, one cup in your favorite coffee shops might costs you around $35-$100, if you're in the U.S., and that's for only one cup, just imagine how much the farm owners and the bulk exporters earn.
But mind you, if you visit those shops or ordered online to try some of this unique coffee, you should know a few issues about it. I listed some of them below.
Authenticity
Are you sure that you are paying for the 100% pure kopi luwak? There are many scams out there, although for most people wanting to try this coffee money is not a big issue they definitely wouldn't want to buy and drink low grade commodity. Most kopi luwak out there are mixed either with inferior grade coffee or sometimes even coffee that is not produced by a palm civet. Always check for authenticity. Legit sellers always have certification to sell these expensive stuff.
Quality
Like we discussed earlier asian palm civets eat coffee beans/seeds as part of their supplementary diet, they are mainly carnivores that prey on small insects and frogs. So how would this affect the quality? Most coffee that are harvested from civets are actually from caged civets. Unlike the wild civets, the caged civets don't have an opportunity to pick the ripest and top quality coffee fruits. they also don't have time to feed on other food source and acquire some of their body requirement needs. They are also subjected to stress which affects the quality of the coffee.
Ecology
Many civets are pouched from the wild to be caged and be used in the coffee(kopi luwak) industry. Although asian palm civets are listed in the list concern status provided by The IUCN, The dwindling number of civets in some places affects the predator-prey balance in their ecosystems.
Alternatives?
If you have already tried the kopi luwak or coffee made by asian palm civets, why not try the black ivory coffee? Don't worry although it is somewhat cheaper it's also made from poop. XD, Nyahaha. They are made from elephant poop.
Final Thoughts
I hope you learned something from our discussion today. Gourmet coffee it is but I think my instant coffee is still better. Haha. Well, I didn't have an experience drinking kopi luwak. But there are too many issues, like it's very expensive and the caged civets are somewhat pitiful. Of course, if someone offered me a free drink I'll try to take a sip of two, but to buy this coffee as a luxury, fat chance, in the end it's still from poop. XD
P.S. I just remembered our neighbor has a coffee tree in their backyard and it has fruits now. Hmmm. Should I get somefruit and mix them in my pet cat's food. Just kidding. Hhahaha.
Thank you for reading. :D
Credits
http://www.most-expensive.coffee/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kopi_Luwak
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Ivory_Coffee
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_palm_civet
https://a-z-animals.com/animals/asian-palm-civet/
http://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Paradoxurus_hermaphroditus/