Characteristics of Civet Coffee
Civet coffee known for its high
aroma, smooth taste, and low acidity – often quite sweet and very full
in the cup – civet coffee is made with coffee beans that are retrieved
from the excretion of an animal called the civet.
Civet Coffee Producing Regions
Civet coffee is produced in various countries including the Philippines, Sumatra, Java, Bali, Sulawesi, and East Timor. In Indonesia civet coffee is known as Kopi Luwak and in the Philippines it is called Kape Alamid.
How Civet Coffee is Produced
The coffee beans pass through the civet’s digestive tract where the
outer fruit is mostly digested, and then the beans are then defecated
onto the ground. Coffee farmers then collect the coffee beans and
usually wash and sun-dry them.
Natural Lack of Bitterness Requires Only Light Roasting
One of the most pronounced characteristics of civet coffee beans is
their natural lack of bitterness, so they are only lightly roasted to
preserve their complex flavors.
Natural Selection By Civets Provides Premium Beans
The civet’s unique ability to select only perfectly ripe coffee cherry
(fruit) to feed upon helps to ensure a consistent high quality of coffee
beans.
This natural selection process for the best quality coffee
beans is one of the reasons why wild-collected civet coffee has such a
smooth flavor profile and aroma which may not be the same with
farm-raised civets that are fed coffee beans picked by farmers.
Enzymatic Changes In the Civet’s Digestive Tract
When the civet eats the coffee cherry, the fruit is mostly digested in
the civet’s stomach, but the seed inside (the coffee bean) is not.
Research has shown that enzymes in the civet’s digestive tract cause
certain chemical processes to occur on the coffee beans’ surface and
also within the porous coffee beans.
Specific proteins that normally
give coffee a bitter taste are broken down by the enzymes, resulting in
a less bitter coffee and allowing the coffee’s notable highlights to
shine through when the coffee is given a light roast.
While some
people are concerned about civet coffee’s potential bacterial
contaminants (e.g., E Coli), others claim that civet coffee is perfectly
safe because the civet’s stomach enzymes help to eliminate the
bacteria, as does the washing, sun-drying, and the high temperature of
the roasting.
Scientific Classification of Coffee Producing Civets
Civets are classified as Paradoxorus Philippinensis (an endangered
species) in the Philippines, but in Sumatra they are in the family
Viverridae.
The civet has been compared to animals in the cat family
and also the weasel family, though it is not related to either. One of
the most numerous types of civets on civet coffee farms is the Asian
palm civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus).
Civet Coffee Bean Varietals
Civet coffee is usually sold by weight. The most common type of civet
coffee bean is the Arabica varietal (Coffea arabica var. arabica), but
Robusta (Coffea canephora var. robusta) and Liberica (Coffea liberica)
are also produced.
The Liberica coffee plant species is considered
endangered in the Philippines, as is the Philippine civet (Paradoxorus
Philippinensis), so the Philippine government along with private
foundations have encouraged initiatives that preserve both the coffee
plant species and the animal in the region.
The Price of Civet Coffee
Civet Coffee is one of the world’s rarest coffees, as well as the most
expensive, selling for up to $600 per pound on the world coffee market.
Civet coffee is also sold by the cup in many coffeehouses in Southeast
Asia.
Why must spend too much money to enjoy wild civet coffee
if you can get it @CoffeeAddict the authentic wild civet coffee with
fair price :) contact us for order :D
