Basic knowledge of civet coffee cat droppings coffee beans

Muscat Coffee (Kopi Luwak), Kopi (Indonesian, coffee), Luwak refers to a kind of arboreal wild animal commonly known as "civet" in Indonesia. Civet coffee is the second most expensive coffee in the world, with a price of several hundred US dollars per pound. It is extracted from the feces of the civet and processed. The civet eats the ripe coffee fruit and is excreted through the digestive system. Due to the fermentation of the stomach, the coffee produced has a special taste and has become a hot item in the international market.

Principle

The civet likes to choose the most ripe, sweet, juicy coffee fruit in the coffee tree as food. The coffee fruit passes through its digestive system, and only the pulp on the outside of the fruit is digested, and the hard coffee beans are then excreted intact by the civet's digestive system.

This digestion process, so that coffee beans have an unparalleled magical change, the flavor tends to be unique, the taste is particularly mellow, rich and round sweet taste is also unmatched by other coffee beans. This is due to the fact that the civets' digestive system destroys the protein in the coffee beans, making the coffee much less bitter and increasing the round taste of the coffee beans.

Because wild civets are obviously better at selecting good coffee fruits, this kind of coffee has outstanding characteristics.

Coffee source

Kopi Luwak, produced in Indonesia, is one of the most expensive coffee in the world. Indonesia grows a lot of coffee crops, including wild animals called civets, omnivores, pointed mouths and dark gray fur. The favorite food is fresh coffee beans, which are fermented and digested in the body and eventually excreted by cats. Feces are grains of coffee beans and become the most expensive feces in the world. Because the quantity is very rare, so the price is very expensive. 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.

After processing and baking, Kopi Luwak has become a luxury coffee drink and spread to luxury kingdoms around the world. Local coffee farmers, in pursuit of high profits, bring wild civets home to raise them so that they can produce more Kopi Luwak. However, the Kopi Luwak produced by breeding civets will be much worse in color and taste. Even so, the output of this kind of coffee is still very rare, and it is not affordable for all people who like coffee.

The coffee comes from the excrement of an animal called the civet (commonly known as the civet in Indonesia). Although it comes from smelly poop, it is full of sweetness and a burst of indescribable sweetness. This wild musk cat likes to eat fat and pulpy coffee fruits, but the hard hard nuts (raw beans) are indigestible and are excreted with feces. After being cleaned, they become Kopi Luwak coffee raw beans! So many people call it "cat shit" coffee. The Indonesians found that the coffee beans fermented by the civets' intestines and stomach are particularly thick and mellow, so they collect the civets' feces, sift out the coffee beans and brew them to drink. Because the yield is rare and the fermentation process is unique, the flavor is very different from that of ordinary coffee. Traditionally, coffee fruit is washed or tanned to remove the peel, pulp and sheep skin, and finally take out the coffee beans. however, Luwak uses natural fermentation in the body to remove the coffee beans, so it has a special flavor.

It is said that coffee farmers in early Indonesia regarded civet cats that ate ripe coffee fruits as mortal enemies, but at some point someone began to think of picking coffee beans from the civet droppings to make coffee with unique flavor. Coffee experts everywhere have tried and were amazed. Since then, local farmers spend a lot of time collecting civet droppings in the forest every day during the coffee ripening season.

The course of development

The company M.P. Mountanos, which first introduced Kopi Luwak coffee to the United States, pointed out that at first, when I heard about this kind of coffee fermented in the body, I thought it was a joke in the industry, but I didn't take it seriously. later, I saw a special report on Kopi Luwak in National Geographic Magazine and became interested in her. it took seven years to find a stable source of supply and began to introduce a small amount to the United States. What's the flavor of this coffee? Generally speaking, Indonesian coffee has the taste of mud and traditional Chinese medicine, and its consistency is the highest in all continents, but Kopi Luwak has a stronger taste and consistency, which is almost close to syrup, and its flavor is very special. If you don't like Indonesian coffee in the first place, you must hate Kopi Luwak even more. If you prefer the fishy smell of aged beans, you may love this alternative coffee. Experts who have tasted Kopi Luwak have put forward a polarized evaluation, and some people compare it to the best coffee in the world. Although it is the best, but whether you are willing to spend thousands of yuan to drink a cup of Kopi Luwak is your personal preference.

Manufacturing method

The roasting process of Luwak coffee beans:

1. Civets like to eat red coffee fruits that are ripe on coffee trees.

2. Pick out undigested coffee seeds from cat droppings

3. Remove the silver gray film of coffee seeds, wash them with water and dry them in the sun.

4. Luwak coffee beans are made by stir-frying.

Production skills

1. After Indonesians remove the silver-gray film on the appearance of coffee beans, wash them with water, dry them in the sun, and then stir-fry them, they become cat shit coffee beans.

2. Only about 150 grams of coffee beans can be extracted from a jin of civets' feces, which will cause 20% loss in the roasting process. Due to the unique raw materials and production process, this kind of coffee can be said to be very rare. No more than 400 kilograms of coffee beans are supplied worldwide every year.

3. Traditionally, coffee fruit is washed or tanned to remove the peel, pulp and sheep skin, and finally take out the coffee beans. however, Luwak uses the method of natural fermentation in the body to remove the coffee beans, so it has a special flavor.

2 main features

Coffee beans generally go through the process of shell fermentation, coffee beans in the civets' intestines, special bacteria provide a unique fermentation environment, the flavor becomes unique, particularly thick and mellow. The coffee beans fermented by civets' intestines and stomach are very thick and mellow.

Eva, the owner of Special Cafe, is a coffee enthusiast who travels around the world every year in search of rare goods. She told reporters that the "Kopi Luwak" was once a tribute from Indonesia to the Dutch royal family. At that time, the industry regarded the coffee with the name "cat shit" as a joke, and people didn't get interested in the Kopi Luwak until it was specially reported in National Geographic magazine.

High price

The Kopi Luwak Initiative is the least produced coffee in the world. A bag of 50 grams of coffee beans costs more than 800 yuan, and only 5 cups of coffee can be brewed. In other words, the price of a cup is about 200 yuan. The civet coffee gift box produced by Fireboat Group, Indonesia's largest coffee supplier, sells for 600,50g at Shangpin Cafe with extremely luxurious packaging, while the asking price for 100g is more than 2000 yuan, and the global annual output in the wild does not exceed 400kg. Today, villagers in these areas not only collect wild Rwaka feces, but also begin to raise Rwaka in captivity. Large pots of picked coffee cherries were placed in front of Rwaka, and the hungry Rwaka had no choice but to eat all the coffee cherries. The taste of Rwaka coffee produced in this way is naturally greatly reduced. "scarcity is precious", which has led to the high price of Kopi Luwak, a rare treasure. I'm afraid you'll have to prepare £50 for a cup of coffee, and you may not be able to find it everywhere.

★ A cup of coffee made from 12 grams of cat poop coffee powder sponsored by Fireboat Group at the 2010 Shanghai World Expo costs 380 yuan, which is limited to 12 cups a day in short supply.

★ in Bali, a cup costs more than 200,000 rupiah, equivalent to more than RMB 150.

★ in the United States, 1 kilogram of cat poop coffee beans is as high as USD 1200. It is always around USD 1000 in the international market.

★ in England, a cup costs 50 pounds (RMB 500).

In Indonesian, "Kopi" means coffee, and "Luwak" is the name commonly known by Indonesians as "civet". It is said that the coffee produces no more than 500 pounds a year, and the price per pound ranges from $300 to $800, depending on the year, because there is not a fixed production every year.

In the international market, Luwak coffee has always been a veritable luxury, and one of the main reasons is that it is not made by people but by wild animals. Traditionally, the coffee fruit is washed or sun-treated, removing the skin, pulp and sheep skin, and finally taking out the coffee beans, but Luwak coffee is made by natural fermentation in wild animals. What's more, these wild animals are found only on small islands like Indonesia, and their time and place are mysterious, and their number is decreasing day by day. Although Indonesia has claimed that the number of "civets" has rebounded steadily through protection and artificial feeding, the temptation of human taste buds, which depends on its digestive system, cannot be compared with products of the industrial era.

"civets" are omnivores. They are withdrawn by nature and like to walk at night. They live in tropical rain forests, subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forests, mountain thickets or hills, mountains and grasses below 2000 meters above sea level. Its food includes small beasts, birds, amphibians and reptiles, crustaceans, fruits and seeds of insects and plants. The civet likes to choose the most mature, sweet, juicy coffee fruit in the coffee tree as food, while the coffee fruit passes through its digestive system and is digested only by the pulp on the outside of the fruit. The hard coffee beans are then excreted intact by the civets' digestive system. This is the "natural fermentation method" that was once scoffed by Americans. It is said that when Americans heard about this way of making coffee, it was regarded as a fantasy, and it was not until it was reported by National Geographic that they became interested in it.

The world's most luxurious coffee, the world's most expensive coffee, the world's rarest coffee.

There are always people who describe Kopi Luwak in this way, which sounds like a boring anecdote

I can't help thinking of Oscar Wilde's words.

People always pay too much attention to the price of things, but often ignore their own value. Forget the rumors of clumsy and useless embellishments

Let's start a magical journey to Kopi Luwak. -- Caffeine.

Unique flavor

Indonesian coffee has the taste of earth and traditional Chinese medicine, and its consistency is among the highest in all continents. But "Kopi Luwak" has a heavier earthy smell, and its consistency is closer to that of syrup. It has a very special flavor. After drinking, there will still be a touch of peppermint cool feeling in the mouth, which is the "exclusive taste" that ordinary coffee does not have. After drinking a cup, take a deep breath or take a sip of cold water, you can obviously feel cool from mouth to throat. It's like I just ate a mint lotion.

Experts say there is a gland near the sexual organs of the Indonesian "musk cat" that secretes milky oil, which has always been a precious raw material for the perfume industry. Even Shakespeare's play King Lear has this dialogue: "Please give me some musk cat oil to stimulate my inspiration." Others said, "this coffee is unique and is a specialty of Indonesia." Drink it, it's like finding a diamond in a stone. " Because the wild "civets" are obviously better at selecting good coffee fruits, so that this kind of coffee has outstanding characteristics.

3 place of origin

According to the boss of the coffee company, the Kafe brand 100% guarantees that pure wild kopi luwak will be produced in the Sumatra plateau at an altitude of more than 1000 meters, rather than that many of the outside are produced in Vietnam or other plains in Indonesia, and many Indonesian farmers are coffee beans produced by captive civets. Nowadays, most of the Kopi Luwak coffee claimed on the market are non-Kopi Luwak fakes, and they can be divided into these forms: the first is to claim that it is collecting coffee beans on trees in coffee estates that have been infested by luwak, which are called Kopi Luwak coffee, not really coffee beans that can be digested by Luwak; moreover, coffee that is fried with spices; otherwise, it is simply known as Kopi Luwak coffee to fish for fame and raise the price. Moreover, there is no favorable certificate for the domestic coffee industry to show to consumers for verification, and products often have to be obtained through agents in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom or Australia, rather than directly imported from Indonesian origin, resulting in uneven coffee quality.

4 Coffee brand

The coffee brand is 100% guaranteed pure wild kopi luwak, which is produced in Sumatra, Zawa, and Sulvish and is part of the 13677 islands of Indonesia. Kopi Luwak brand is the only officially recognized brand by the Indonesian government, and it is deeply loved by coffee lovers for its unique fruity aroma and long aftertaste.

Kopi Luwak is definitely an international luxury because it is produced by civets (Luwak) rather than humans, especially the wild civets born and raised in Indonesia, which are vegetarian and very rare and precious. Indonesian coffee has a long historical background, and coffee footprints can be found in almost every corner of the country. Mountainous islands are very suitable for its growth, and wild coffee can often be found all over the woods. this provides convenience for the producer of Kopi Luwak, the civet.

5 brewing mode

The aroma of Kopi Luwak is easier to lose than ordinary coffee. In order to maintain the flavor, coffee beans should be packaged independently and then injected with nitrogen to prevent the oxidation of coffee beans. The production process is complicated and rigorous. If you want to enjoy the true taste of Kopi Luwak, do not add sugar or milk to your coffee. It is recommended to use an air stopper (Siphon siphon), add 160g / 180ml (ml) of pure water, pour 17g (grams) of coffee powder with about 2 flat spoons of coffee, and gently press down the raised coffee powder with flat bamboo slices after the water boils up. Remember! Do not stir, otherwise the coffee will become bitter, sour and astringent.

The water temperature is 96 ℃, the water pressure is 9-10atm, boil for about 1 minute 45 seconds ~ 2 minutes, quickly remove the fire source and wipe the glass bottle with a cold wet cloth to make it cool rapidly, the brewed coffee will quickly fall and show a large number of golden fine foam, so that the ultimate flavor can be achieved. In the general way of brewing, some people say that civet coffee can be brewed for 2 or 3 times, but the above brewing method is regarded as the essence after boiling for a long time, so rebrewing is not recommended.

6 comments after drinking

It is said that experts who have tasted this kind of coffee have gone to two extremes in their comments on its taste. One describes the coffee as "the best in the world". The taste is so unusual that it is difficult to describe in words and words: "with a bit of dirt, slightly choking taste and visceral taste, it won't go away in the mouth for a long time until the last drop." Another evaluation is quite the opposite: "it's hard to swallow, it's a complete gimmick, and it's not worth paying for stinky coffee."

Coffee experts say that most Luwak coffee comes from low-altitude robusta beans, suggesting that civets prefer robusta beans to Arabica beans at higher altitudes. As the activity range of Luwak belongs to low and middle altitude, most of the coffee varieties are robusta beans, while Arabica beans at high altitude are rarer. Indonesian coffee itself has the taste of earth and traditional Chinese medicine, and its consistency is among the highest in all continents, but Luwak coffee has a better taste and consistency, especially with a consistency almost close to syrup, and its flavor is very special (if it can be described by fragrance).

The coffee made from the real civet coffee will emit a fragrance like honey and chocolate, and it will have a sweet, smooth and rich taste without adding sugar and cream, while the texture of the original water has been fully covered by the round and rich texture of the coffee, so the tip of the tongue can hardly feel the quality of the water at the beginning of the mouth. Not bitter, not sour, not astringent, but a little more milk flavor, and after entering the throat without scraping the stomach will not cause stomach discomfort. Even if it is cold, the taste is still mellow. After tasting it, the cup still has a sweet smell of milk. It is a coffee with rich texture and depth, and it is absolutely unique. But if you don't like the taste of Indonesian coffee in the first place, then to be sure, you will hate Luwak coffee more; but if, on the contrary, you like the fishy smell of aged Indonesian beans or Indian-style beans, you may fall in love with Luwak coffee with similar flavor.

Once at a tasting, many celebrities savoured every fragrance of Luwak coffee without being told the truth, and tried to describe their sensory reactions with gorgeous words. However, when people know the origin of this drink, they feel stomach discomfort at the same time. Civet Coffee salespeople suggest that if you want to use this coffee to entertain a guest, either never tell him the truth, or tell him the origin of the coffee in advance and let him decide whether to drink it or not, lest he overreact.

7 professional terms

Flavor [Flavor]: the overall impression of aroma, acidity, and mellowness.

Acidity [Acidity]: the strong acidity of all coffee grown on the plateau. The sour here is different from bitterness and Sour, and has nothing to do with pH value. It refers to a fresh and lively quality that promotes coffee to exert its functions of invigorating the mind and clearing the taste. The acidity of coffee is not the acidity or sour smell of acidity or alkalinity, nor is it an uncomfortable acid that enters the stomach. When making coffee, the performance of acidity is very important. under good conditions and skills, a special taste with fresh acidity can be developed, which is a necessary condition for high-grade coffee. The sour taste of coffee describes a lively, bright flavor, which is somewhat similar to that used in wine tasting. If the coffee bean lacks acidity, it is equal to lose vitality, taste empty and boring, without layer depth. Acidity has many different characteristics, such as coffee beans from Yemen and Kenya, which have an impressive fruity aroma and a red wine-like texture.

Mellow [Body]: the taste of the tongue after drinking coffee. The change of mellowness can be divided into light to light, medium, high, fat, and even Indonesian coffee is as thick as syrup.

Odor [Aroma]: the smell and aroma emitted after the coffee has been prepared. The words used to describe smell include caramel, carbon roast, chocolate, fruit, grass, malt, and so on.

Bitterness [Bitter]: bitterness is a basic sense of taste, and the sensory area is distributed in the base of the tongue. The bitterness of deep baking is deliberately created, but the common cause of bitterness is too much coffee powder and too little water.

Light [Bland]: coffee grown in lowlands, usually quite light and tasteless. Coffee with insufficient coffee powder and too much water will have the same light effect.

Salty [Briny]: after brewing, if the coffee is overheated, it will produce a salty taste.

The aroma of soil [Earthy]: commonly used to describe spicy and earthy Indonesian coffee, not the smell of dirt on coffee beans. Uniqueness [Exotic]: describes coffee with its unique aroma and special flavor, such as flowers, fruits, and spices. Coffee from East Africa and Indonesia usually has this property.

Aromatic alcohol [Mellow]: used to describe coffee with good acidity balance.

Mild [Mild]: used to describe a coffee with a harmonious, delicate flavor, used to refer to all plateau coffee except Brazil.

Soft [Soft]: describes low acidity coffee such as Indonesian coffee, and also describes it as mellow or sweet.

Sour [Sour]: a sense of taste in which the sensory area is mainly located at the back of the tongue and is characteristic of light roasted coffee.

Spice [Spicy]: a flavor or smell reminiscent of a particular spice.

Strong [Strong]: technically, it describes the advantages and disadvantages of various tastes, or the relative ratio of coffee to water in a particular conditioned product. In terms of popular usage, it describes the strong flavor of deep-roasted coffee.

Sweet [Sweet]: in essence, it is like fruit, and it also has something to do with the taste of wine.

Wild [Wild]: describes coffee with extreme taste characteristics.

Wine [Winy]: fruit-like acidity and smooth mellow, created by the contrast of special flavor.

8 feeding process

Apart from the fragrant, mellow, sweet and slippery smell of Indonesia's "Kopi Luwak", it is even more unforgettable. It is known as gourmet coffee, which is delicious because of its scarcity. British media have revealed that Indonesian stores are suspected of abusing Kopi Luwak-producing civets, keeping them in tiny cages and feeding large quantities of coffee beans to force them to increase production.

After eating the coffee beans, the civets complete the fermentation in the stomach, destroying the protein of the coffee beans, producing short peptides and more free amino acids, reducing the bitterness of the coffee. Because the coffee beans cannot be digested, the civets excrete them, and after washing and baking, they become civet coffee. An eyewitness went straight to a cat shit coffee shop in Sumatra, Indonesia, and found a female civet kept in a narrow cage in the back column of the store, while other smaller civets were kept in more than 20 small cages hidden on the roof. forced to gorge on coffee beans. Traffic, a conservation group that monitors wildlife sales, says similar farms are rising year by year in Southeast Asia, leading to higher mortality rates for civets.