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Published: 2026-01-28 Author: FrontStreet Coffee

Last Updated: 2026/01/28, Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style). Kopi Luwak, also known as Civet Coffee. The Indonesian term for Kopi Luwak is KOPI LUWAK, while in English it's called Civet Coffee, where "Kopi" means coffee and "Luwak" means civet cat. Kopi Luwak is also referred to as civet coffee, which is why

Professional coffee knowledge exchange. For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat public account: cafe_style)

Kopi Luwak coffee beans and production process

What is Kopi Luwak Coffee?

Kopi Luwak, also known as civet coffee, gets its Indonesian name from "Kopi" (coffee) and "Luwak" (civet cat). This coffee is made from coffee beans that have been eaten by Asian palm civets and passed through their digestive tract undigested. The difference between these beans and regular coffee beans lies primarily in the fermentation process that occurs in the civet's stomach, which breaks down proteins and produces short peptides and more free amino acids, reducing the acidity and bitterness of the coffee.

The Dark Side of Production

Profit-driven businessmen were no longer satisfied with the sporadic yields found in the jungle. To obtain high-priced civet coffee beans and increase production, a specialized civet coffee industry emerged.

Civets were confined and fed only coffee berries. They were cruelly kept in narrow, filthy cages, causing the civets to nearly collapse from extreme anxiety and depression.

Civets are actually creatures that love freedom extremely. When kept in captivity, they would protest by refusing food, but merchants, seeking high-priced civet coffee, would abuse cats to obtain their feces.

Like foie gras (originally just geese that accidentally became fat during normal feeding), this food was originally a gift from nature. However, evil profit-seeking businessmen began to find alternative ways to earn more profits. They instructed locals (belonging to Sumatra, Java, and Sulawesi islands in Indonesia) to keep civets in cages and force-feed them large amounts of coffee beans to obtain more civet coffee.

Forcing them to eat and excrete, then eat again...

Catching civets and throwing them into cages, feeding, feeding, feeding... For civets that are naturally timid and love freedom, this is undoubtedly a disaster.

Forced monotonous diets also cause many civets to suffer from stomach diseases and malnutrition. Many civets' paws have severe exposed wounds due to long-term friction and struggle on sharp wire mesh. Without any treatment measures, most of the tissues soaked in feces and urine become inflamed and ulcerated. Iron cages not only drive animals crazy mentally but also torture them physically.

Some mentally fragile civets, due to such severe stimulation, suffer mental breakdowns and die from refusing food. Those dying and losing value are directly eliminated, becoming fur products flowing into another dark market. From the moment they enter the breeding farm until death, there is not a glimmer of hope.

Investigator Neil D'Cruze: "Some cages are really very small, almost like rabbit hutches. There's feces and urine everywhere, and civets have to soak in it. Some civets are very thin, their diet is strictly controlled to only coffee cherries (the fruit surrounding coffee beans); others are very fat because they cannot move freely. D'Cruze also mentioned that some are addicted to caffeine."

--National Geographic

Animal Cruelty Controversy

Although civet coffee leaves a lasting fragrance on the palates of gourmets, a recent investigation by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) pointed out that several civet coffees on the market claim to be from "wild civets," but in reality, Indonesian producers keep civets in grid cages for farming, raising suspicions of animal cruelty.

Teguh Pribadi, founder of the Indonesian Civet Coffee Association, insists that this mislabeling of Indonesian civet coffee as coming from wild civets is not a widespread phenomenon, perhaps just isolated cases.

Due to the extremely low yield of genuine civet coffee beans and the huge initial market demand, their rarity commands high prices. Only about 150 grams of coffee beans can be extracted from one jin (approximately 500 grams) of civet excrement.

Lin Yijun, who previously kept civets, believes that farmers and civets have a mutually beneficial symbiotic relationship. Civets are their economic source. If they abuse their money-making tools, the civets' poor physical condition will result in poor quality coffee beans, affecting farmers' income.

She says that keeping civets allows farmers to harvest coffee beans regularly. The keeping areas are mostly natural spaces where civets can move freely; whereas coffee beans excreted by wild civets often take time to find, and by the time farmers find them, the beans have over-fermented and their quality has declined.

Additionally, due to the rarity and high price of civet coffee, news of "fake products flooding the market" is often heard. Indonesian media recently reported that Indonesia has a feline animal similar to civets, called "Musang" in Indonesian. Because it is cheaper than civets and eats more than civets, it is often purchased by coffee producers for feeding, and the excreted coffee beans are mixed and sold as civet coffee.

Is It Really That Delicious?

Compared to regular coffee, authentic civet coffee appears very thick, like syrup, and has a strong sweet aroma. In terms of taste, it lacks the acidity and bitterness of ordinary coffee but has astringency and earthy flavors, with a strange sensation of sweet aftertaste. Due to its thickness, it feels quite smooth on the palate. Unlike the coffee aroma presented by regular coffee, civet coffee has a distinct and unique pungent smell. The first sip doesn't reveal obvious acidity and bitterness, but the aroma travels from the throat to the nasal cavity, challenging the mind's thoughts. You'll keep fantasizing about the production process of this cup of coffee while being influenced by its unique flavor, hesitating whether to take a second sip. Of course, wanting to experience it more clearly, you take a second sip. The aftertaste sensation is clear and persistent, with a special pungent taste in the mouth that differs from regular coffee. Whether you have a coffee habit or not, you should have a distinct memory of this cup of civet coffee because it's truly special.

Recommended Kopi Luwak Brands

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted wild civet coffee beans have full guarantees in both brand and quality. More importantly, they offer extremely high value for money - a 100-gram package costs only 250. Calculated at 15 grams per single-origin coffee, one package can make 6 cups of coffee, with each cup costing only about 40-50 yuan. Compared to cafés selling cups for over 100 yuan, this offers excellent value.

FrontStreet Coffee: A roastery in Guangzhou with a small shop but diverse bean varieties, where you can find various famous and lesser-known beans. They also provide online shop services at https://shop104210103.taobao.com