The highest state of Kopi Luwak "shit"

In the secluded corner of a coffee shop in Medan, Sumatra, Indonesia, the mother of the civet is huddled in a narrow cage, out of reach of her two children who are imprisoned in other cages. Every day, they are forced to feed large quantities of coffee beans so that civets can extract Kopi Luwak worth hundreds of yuan per cup of feces.

What are the interests behind the sky-high Kopi Luwak Initiative? Should the cost of life behind sky-high coffee be stopped?

Sky-high prices are still sought after.

At the just concluded "2012 Qingdao Import Show", it attracted nearly 70 suppliers from Canada, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Thailand and other countries and regions. Among the products displayed by these exhibitors, Sri Lankan civet coffee is quite eye-catching among many exhibits.

It is understood that this Sri Lankan specialty coffee, which is one of the Indonesian cities, costs 688 yuan or two. The coffee beans used must be taken and excreted by a local specialty civet.

"this civet has special glands. In its high-temperature and high-acid environment, coffee beans are fully fermented. After a series of professional treatment, its excrement produced the world-famous civet coffee. " The person in charge of the booth said that due to the strange taste, although the price is more expensive, there are still many consumers come to consult with interest.

According to a reporter's survey, in the UK, a pound of Kopi Luwak is about US $800,900; in Hong Kong, a half-pound of Kopi Luwak is about HK $2000, and even upscale coffee shops in Hong Kong sell for about RMB200 a cup. In Guangzhou, it is popular with consumers who like to pursue new things, and a jin of cat poop coffee beans is about 5000 yuan. Kopi Luwak sold in some coffee shops in Guangzhou is cost-controlled, and a cup of coffee costs about 280,350 yuan.

In the international market, Kopi Luwak has always been a veritable luxury. "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 like this, and you can't find it anywhere.

Is it delicious or hard to swallow?

The Indonesian Kopi Luwak, called "KopiLuwak" or "Civetcoffee", claims to be the most expensive coffee in the world. There is a wild animal called civet, and its favorite food is fresh coffee beans. Coffee beans are fermented and digested in their bodies and eventually excreted as cat feces. Feces are grains of coffee beans and the most expensive feces in the world.

Experts say the Indonesian civet has a gland near its sexual organs that secretes milky oil, which has always been a precious raw material for the perfume industry. Even Shakespeare's King Lear has this dialogue: "Please give me some civet oil." stimulate my inspiration. " Others said, "drink it, it's like finding a diamond in a stone."

How does Kopi Luwak taste? Does it have the unique smell produced by the fermentation of civets?

In this regard, the person in charge of Guangzhou Klima Catering Management Co., Ltd., former Secretary-General of Guangzhou Coffee Industry Association Li Tao said in an interview with our reporter that the taste of Kopi Luwak is really difficult to judge.

"if it's authentic Kopi Luwak, the taste is passable. However, it is necessary to have reservations about whether you can drink the smell of musk deer. " Li Tao said, "Kopi Luwak is purely conceptual hype, only in terms of consumer drinks, merchants sell only concepts." The tastes of the public are different, and it seems impossible to judge whether it tastes good or not. "

It is said that experts who have tasted this kind of coffee have two extremes on its taste: one describes it as "the best in the world", "with a bit of dirt, slightly choking and visceral taste, lingering 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."

The cost of life behind it

Statistics show that wild civets are very rare in Indonesia. Kopi Luwak, which is produced by wild civets, produces no more than 500lbs a year, and prices range from $300,800 per pound. The price depends on the year, and there is not a fixed output every year.

Where there is demand, there will be a market. Now some people in Indonesia have begun to raise civets to make artificial "Kopi Luwak". It is understood that if 20 civets are kept in a Kopi Luwak factory in Indonesia, 700g of Kopi Luwak can be produced every day. But that number seems to be far from enough for consumers around the world who want a taste of Kopi Luwak.

A reporter from the British Guardian once visited a coffee shop in Indonesia and witnessed the price behind the human pursuit of luxury. "nearly 20 iron cages that have imprisoned civets are scattered in the corners and rooftops of coffee shops to meet people's demand for Kopi Luwak."

Local animal protection groups pointed out that as Kopi Luwak has become more and more popular in recent years, tens of thousands of wild civets have been captured and frightened civets struggle to get close to their companions, but are forced to be locked up in harsh conditions. A large number of coffee beans are forcibly fed every day, resulting in a high mortality rate, and a similar situation is rising year by year in Southeast Asia. The group calls on consumers who drink Kopi Luwak to think about how the gourmet coffee was made before tasting it.

Li Tao said that at present, the volume of Kopi Luwak in the Guangzhou market is not too large, about two kilograms a month, but these basically belong to the category of treats and gifts. He himself does not advocate that consumers go after Kopi Luwak. After all, in the coffee world, there are more and better choices in addition to "shit" coffee.