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Why is it called Kopi Luwak? Three questions about Kopi Luwak

Published: 2026-04-08 Author: World Gafei

Last Updated: 2026/04/08, Kopi Luwak, also known as civet coffee, is one of the most expensive coffee in the world, costing hundreds of dollars per pound. So, is Kopi Luwak really made of cat shit? Where does it come from? Is Kopi Luwak really delicious when it is so expensive? Question 1. Is Kopi Luwak really made of cat shit? In Southeast Asia, there is a wild hybrid called Luwak.

Kopi Luwak, also known as civet coffee, is one of the most expensive coffee in the world, costing hundreds of dollars per pound. So, is Kopi Luwak really made of cat shit? Where does it come from? Is Kopi Luwak really delicious when it is so expensive?

Question 1. Is Kopi Luwak really made of cat shit?

In Southeast Asia, there is a wild omnivore called Luwak, with a pointed mouth and dark gray fur. The cat's favorite food is fresh coffee beans, which are eventually excreted in the form of feces when they eat them and ferment and digest them in their bodies.

These droppings are grains of coffee beans and the most expensive feces in the world. Because the quantity is very rare, this kind of fecal coffee beans are very expensive.

Question 2. Where does Kopi Luwak come from?

In fact, civets are found in Indo-China, India (northeast), Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sikkim, Nepal and Kashmir, but only Sumatran civets, or Indonesian civets, can produce Kopi Luwak.

It is said that early Indonesian coffee farmers regarded civet cats that ate ripe coffee fruits as mortal enemies, but I don't know when someone thought of picking coffee beans from the civet droppings to make coffee with unique flavor. Since some experts began to affirm the taste of this kind of coffee, Indonesian coffee farmers have given impetus to the production of Kopi Luwak.

Some local coffee farmers in Indonesia are chasing high profits by taking wild civets home and raising them so that they can produce more Kopi Luwak. Of course, the quality and taste of Kopi Luwak produced by raising civets will be much lower. Even so, however, the output of Kopi Luwak is still so scarce that not everyone who likes coffee can afford it.

Question 3. Kopi Luwak is so expensive, is it really delicious?

Although Kopi Luwak is a smelly poop from a civet, it is full of sweetness and a burst of indescribable sweetness. Why is that?

The normal coffee making process is to remove the peel, pulp and sheep skin through washing or sun treatment, and finally take out the coffee beans. however, the civet uses natural fermentation in the body to remove the coffee beans, so the flavor of Kopi Luwak is very unique and mellow.

Kopi Luwak is extremely rare, producing only 500 pounds a year, many times more than Blue Mountain Coffee. A 4 oz Kopi Luwak can even sell for $168 (about 1400 yuan)!

Source: red Wine World Network

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