An Interesting Look of Kopi Luwak

Jan 14/ 2022 / By Harry / in Articles

An Interesting Look of Kopi Luwak

Previously, we talked about the general history and basic knowledge about coffees made by civets. We said by civets or luwak because kopi luwak beans are excreted by them. They eat ripe coffee cherries, digest them for hours, then excrete them, the result of which is then processed to make kopi luwak. According to several sources, the word “luwak” is derived from Bahasa which means “civets”, while the word “kopi” means “coffee”.

Kopi luwak has a hefty price tag because of the efforts required to cultivate and harvest coffee beans. The good kopi luwak beans are excreted by wild civets, who need a large amount of space to be able to move around. Wild civets need to be left on their own so that they can choose which coffee cherries to eat. They eat only the ripe cherries, so the overall quality of coffee beans excreted will be consistent.

So, how does the kopi luwak taste? The enzymes inside the civets’ digestive system seep into the beans, making shorter peptides and more free amino acids. The coffee beans are then washed, sun-dried, light-roasted, and brewed. These treatments done to the coffee beans make the coffee tastes less bitter.

The first thing that you will notice when drinking kopi luwak, is that the coffee will taste different. Some people describe the feeling as lighter and more brittle. There is also a slight aroma of chocolate.

When making a cup of coffee, we recommend letting the coffee sit for a few minutes to cool after grinding and brewing it. The coffee will also mix more evenly and cook a bit more, giving the more mature, evenly distributed taste throughout the whole cup.

To enjoy kopi luwak, we highly recommend you to drink it black on the first try. You can mix it with a few touches of cream and sugar, but be careful not to change the taste of the uniquely made coffee into just regular coffee. It is already less bitter from the brewing, so the coffee will taste smooth, mild, and sweet, with a gentle hint of bitterness left by the civets’ digestive system. After all, the value of kopi luwak comes partly from its unique taste.

So why should you drink kopi luwak? Aside from the taste, kopi luwak also offers more. Interestingly, drinking kopi luwak has some advantages for your health. For example, kopi luwak contains higher levels of inositol, which improves the effects of neurotransmitters, fights polycystic ovarian syndrome, and combats depression. Kopi luwak also contains higher levels of citric acid, which can help avoid kidney stones and osteoporosis, and malic acid, which can boost your energy.

It also has lower levels of caffeine, about half the amount of other coffees. This can give you an adequate boost of energy without having to suffer from the caffeine crash. It contains far fewer tannins, which makes the coffee much healthier for your teeth.

Some people are not interested in drinking kopi luwak because of the process used to make the coffee, or rather, the animal. Interestingly, every coffee in the world undergoes the same process as kopi luwak, which is fermentation. The only difference with kopi luwak is that the fermentation process occurs inside the civets’ digestive system. The process of harvesting and transforming the civets’ excrement into healthy, consumable coffee beans is also designed to be as safe as possible. The beans are thoroughly washed multiple times, and the roasting process will kill or destroy any possible pathogens that might have escaped the first washing process, so the end product is safe to drink.

Before buying your first bag of kopi luwak beans, please make sure that the coffee beans are sourced from wild civets. Wild civets are free to choose what they eat and when to eat, so they only eat the most delicious coffee cherries that they can find, as opposed to caged civets, which are usually force-fed both good and bad coffee cherries. Caged civets are also trapped against their will, stressing and physically hurting them. It is a simple thing to check, so do not forget to!

Tags: kopi luwak civet coffee luwak coffee beans coffee beans