Complex Tastes and Rich Aroma Characteristic of Civet Coffee
The unique tastes and aromas of Civet coffee are likely the reason the
coffee has gained such a wide popularity despite the initial off-putting
knowledge that the coffee has previously been expelled from the anus of
a small mammal called the Civet and then the excrement gathered up and prepared for your cup. That’s right: pooh to brew!
The Asian Palm Civet produces a unique coffee by eating the ripest
beans (in the case of wild Civet coffee) and then marinating those beans
in its digestive tract before expelling them onto the forest floor. A
quick wash, sun-drying, and light roasting and the beans are ready to
go!
How Does Civet Coffee Taste?
A good Civet coffee
is full-bodied, quite heavy and full in the cup, and perhaps even a bit
syrupy. Civet coffee has a pleasant sweetness that may reveal hints of
chocolate and a subtle caramel taste.
The flavor of Civet
coffee is complex with low levels of bitterness and acidity while
revealing rich and strong aromatics. The high aroma gives and complex
flavors give way to a lingering finish, an aftertaste that is long and
clean.
Civet coffee from different regions and made from
differing coffee plant varietals will reveal distinctly different
qualities, although the common factor is usually the coffee’s naturally
low bitterness which is why it only requires a light roast.
Civet coffees from different regions have their own distinct tastes and
aromas. There are also variations depending upon whether it is wild
Civet coffee (in which the Civets are allowed to choose which coffee
cherry they eat), or Civet coffee produced in some other way.
Some Civet coffee farmers mix the coffee beans with banana mash before
feeding the mix to the Civets with the goal of increasing the fermented
end product.
Among the finer wild Civet coffees the common
quality is the lack of bitterness, and thus these coffees are almost
always given only a light roast. Roasting reduces bitterness in coffee
beans, so beans that naturally lack significant bitterness require only a
light roast.
A fine Civet coffee lightly roasted is allowed to
exhibit its origin flavors and premium gourmet qualities which shine
through since they are not masked by roasting tastes as with darker
roasts.
The result is a smooth, aromatic, and very pleasant
tasting cup of brewed coffee that often reveals hints of chocolate and
other nuanced flavors. The mellow brew is also said to reveal distinct
nutty and oaky flavors not present in other coffees.
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