Coffee review

The Origin and present situation of Kopi Luwak is Kopi Luwak really cat shit?

Published: 2025-08-21 Author: World Gafei
Last Updated: 2025/08/21, Professional barista exchange please pay attention to the coffee workshop (Wechat official account cafe_style) the civet has also appeared in the ears of people who do not drink coffee. Before the emergence of geisha coffee, the most expensive coffee was always won by Musk Kopi Luwak, but in this coffee industry chain, exactly how to produce coffee beans, after reading the article, you may think more about this coffee, is it worth drinking?

For professional baristas, please follow the coffee workshop (Wechat official account cafe_style)

Musk cats have also appeared in the ears of non-coffee drinkers. Before the advent of geisha coffee, the most expensive coffee was always won by Musk Kopi Luwak, but in this coffee industry chain, exactly how to produce coffee beans, after reading the article, you may think more about this coffee, is it worth drinking?

Luwak

Civets-lovely and watery wild animals

Musk cat is "Luwak" in Indonesian. It is an arboreal wild animal. There are also civets in Taiwan, but they are different in biology. They are a kind of close relatives. They look like cats and beavers, mostly with black, white and gray hair interlaced, and they are quite delightful with innocent eyes.

The range of activities is about 2000 meters above sea level, so most wild civets eat robusta beans rather than better quality Arabica beans. Civets are actually very good at picking coffee beans, and nocturnal animals will rely on their keen sense of smell at night. judge the sweetest and fullest coffee cherries in the coffee tree, while the fruit is partially broken down by intestinal enzymes after passing through the cat's digestive tract, while the coffee beans are excreted by feces. This kind of coffee is also called "Kopi Luwak". Special intestinal enzymes make coffee beans have a unique flavor and mellow flavor, which is very delicious in the eyes of many people, but some people still do not like the coffee beans produced in this way.

In fact, civets are omnivorous creatures. They don't just eat coffee fruits. They eat bananas or many tropical fruits, as well as small animals such as insects and snails. Such a variety of foods can maintain the balance and health of the body and the normal levels of intestinal enzymes. Just like people, eating apples every day cannot survive.

Musk Kopi Luwak-the gift of nature or human greed

Musk Kopi Luwak is made from the processing and roasting of coffee beans that cannot be decomposed in cat feces, Kopi Luwak in Indonesian and Civet Coffee in English, while similar mink coffee in Vietnam is also decomposed and mixed by special enzymes in the organism, the coffee beans cannot be digested and excreted in feces, and then collected by coffee farmers through drying, washing, roasting and other actions can be brewed into the cup.

Dutch

History-- the greed of European powers and the discovery of farmers

Historically, why would anyone look for coffee from feces? This is puzzling, but through historical records, we have found the reasons and the people who made these discoveries.

In the era of navigation, European powers wanted to acquire more land all over the world. Taiwan was once an island colonized by the Dutch and Spaniards, while Indonesia, an island of civets, was also occupied by the Dutch. The so-called "East India Company" was even established at that time, which was a government agency with a lot of power.

Under the threat of force, Indonesian farmers became cheap labor for the Dutch, growing spices in the early stage, and coffee in the middle and later. Indonesian crops in the tropics were very popular in Europe, so the Netherlands earned a lot of money. In the age of navigation, which country did not treat the local people in this way? Many European countries laid a certain foundation at that time. Up to now, they may only know that their ancestors have gained prestige all over the world, and they have to rely on their leadership.

On the other hand, farmers have never drank coffee grown by themselves, and this problem still exists today. at that time, farmers did not dare to pick crops without authorization, but they would be severely punished, but their curiosity would not stop. When someone found coffee beans left in the feces of civets, they found them delicious after treatment, and they seemed to understand why the Western world loved coffee so much, even those picked up from animal droppings.

The good times are not very long, after the Dutch know about this, collecting civet coffee has become one of the new jobs, and I can no longer drink that special taste of coffee.

Current situation-fakes are full of, cruelty to animals

Today, 80% of Kopi Luwak on the market is no longer the best it used to be.

How do you say that? Today's musk Kopi Luwak is mostly raised rather than wild civets, fed with coffee beans of unknown quality and kept in narrow cages every day, and as nocturnal animals, civets do not like to be caged. this will put a lot of pressure on them; plus the fact that they are only fed with coffee beans has a very bad effect on their nutrition, remember? Delicious coffee beans are broken down by healthy digestive enzymes. Wild animals are happy to look for food. When they become caged cats, how can coffee beans produced by unhappy cats taste good?

The American Fine Coffee Association said that "there is a consensus in the coffee industry that this kind of coffee tastes bad, and this treatment makes the coffee lighter and loses its sour and sweet taste." However, the sense of taste is quite subjective, and some people think that this insipid taste is delicious.

Tony Wild, the businessman who introduced coffee to Europe, mentioned in the Guardian column that these stressed civets shake their heads every day, lose their spirits and even bite their legs, resulting in blood loss and even death. Imagine that a cup of coffee will keep such a large human being awake, not to mention that the civets are forced to feed so many coffee beans every day. The excitement and uneasiness make the civets a living hell.

Buy and sell-expensive, refuse to buy

There are few institutions in the world dare to certify Musk Kopi Luwak, because the risk is too high, wild musk Kopi Luwak is delicious, but the quantity is very small, and it seems precious and expensive. Just like the sale of pets, there is no breeding farm if there is no purchase. When everyone is crazy about raising a certain kind of dog, because there is a profit, there will be a breeding farm, but the usual method is inhumane; so is Musk Kopi Luwak.

As long as people are infatuated with and buy musk Kopi Luwak, even if they buy really wild coffee beans, this will only accelerate the investment of more people in the industry. More people keep more civets, forcing them to eat low-end coffee beans. Anyway, after baking, no one can tell from the appearance whether it is wild or farmed musk Kopi Luwak. So all the media around the world are calling for an end to trying to buy Musk Kopi Luwak.

Civetcoffee

Conclusion: reflection on coffee industry

The feces of civets may not be what they are today if they are not found, and when we discuss the production process, whether we are humane and friendly to these animals is also one of the key points. On the other side, we see coffee farmers, or many people do not know that their own coffee is so delicious, and there are many facts and difficulties in the coffee industry that cannot be changed for a while, but coffee is so charming, right?

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