An American Girl in Shanghai: Cat Poop Coffee

When I started this blog, I thought my post on squattie training would be the most vulgar of my posts. As soon as I heard about a drink called Kopi Luwak, I knew that this would change. Before I continue, I would like to apologize to my Mother for the embarrassment that is about to come. She really did raise me to have manners, I just feel obligated to educate my readers about what has been called the most expensive coffee in the world.

I first learned of Luwak coffee while relaxing with some new Aussie friends in the resort pool. My new friend asked me,

“So what do you plan ta see while you’re in Bali?”

“I think we are going to take a day to see some temples and maybe some rice paddies. Is there anything you would suggest that we see?” I replied.

“Are you going ta go see the cat shit coffee?” She asked.

“Excuse me?”

“Yeah, you need ta go see the cat shit coffee.” She insisted. “It’s about a four hour ride away but it is worth it."

My inner 10 year old was quite curious as to how this process worked, so I asked Chris if he was interested in seeing the process.

“Um, no.” he stated emphatically. We figured we could spend our time doing other fun activities. I figured he was completely grossed out by the concept so I dropped the subject.

While Chris and I were on the way to lunch in Bali, our driver asked if we were interested in seeing how coffee was made.

“Is this the cat poop coffee plantation?” I questioned.

“Why yes!” he responded. “It’s very close to the rice paddies.”

“Okay, let’s go…but I’m not drinking the coffee.” Chris replied.

So after our yummy lunch, we visited Bali Pulina Coffee Plantation to see how the world’s most expensive coffee is made.

The Kopi Luwak, or Luwak Coffee is made from these beautiful coffee berries.

The Civet cats eat the coffee berries. The cats look like a cat/ferret hybrid. I expected them to look more like house cats. If visiting the plantation, don't try to pet the cats. They are a little feisty.

The civet cat then eats and digests the coffee berries. According to the plantation workers, the beans are fermented by the cats' digestive juices. The result is a coffee bean that has a lower caffeine content and distinctive flavor.

After the civet cat poops the beans, plantation workers clean them.

Then the beans are dried.

After 2 weeks or so, workers peel the beans.

Workers then brown the beans over an open flame,

then grind them the old fashioned way.

The end product is Luwak Coffee!

After our quick tour of the production line, we were served a complementary coffee/ tea flight. While sampling the goods, Mr. "I'm Not Drinking That" decided to pay the $5.50 to taste the cat poop coffee.

This was our view from the plantation cafe.

Chris was underwhelmed by the coffee. He claimed it wasn't as tasty as Starbucks and there really wasn't a distinct flavor. I'm not a coffee drinker, so I passed on the experience.