Is Vietnamese Civet Coffee Fake? How to Brew Civet Coffee at Home & Civet Coffee Price Guide

The Rare Truth About Kopi Luwak

From one pound of civet droppings, only 150 grams of Kopi Luwak beans can be extracted, with an additional 20% loss during roasting. The global annual supply of these beans does not exceed 400 kilograms. So are more than 80% of the Kopi Luwak coffees on the market fake?

What is Civet Coffee?

Civet coffee (English: civet coffee; Indonesian: Kopi Luwak; Filipino: kape motit, kape alamid, kape melo, kape musang).

In Indonesian, "Kopi" means coffee and "Luwak" means civet. The natural origins and artificial breeding farms of civet coffee are mainly concentrated on islands such as Sumatra, Java, Bali, and Sulawesi in Indonesia, as well as in the Philippines and other places. It is one of the most expensive coffees in the world, with raw beans costing $400 per kilogram and finished products selling for $1,000 per kilogram. According to an interview by the American BBC News, the annual production of coffee made from wild civet droppings in Indonesia is only 500 kilograms.

Origin of the Name

Civet coffee is produced from the feces of the Asian palm civet, a type of civet cat, hence the name "civet coffee." After coffee beans are eaten by the civet and undergo fermentation in its stomach, proteins are broken down, producing short peptides and more free amino acids, which reduces the bitterness of the coffee. The excreted droppings then become the main raw material. Since coffee beans cannot be digested, they are expelled and, after cleaning and roasting, become civet coffee. Coffee critic Chris Rubin said, "The aroma is so rich and strong, and the coffee is incredibly rich, almost like syrup. Its thickness and chocolate texture linger on the tongue for a long time, with a pure aftertaste."

The Asian palm civet is an omnivore. Besides seeds, it also eats insects, snakes, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. The droppings of truly wild civets therefore contain various mixed substances. Local Indonesian farmers capture civets for breeding and feed them coffee beans to produce the coffee, though there are still certain differences between artificially cultivated and naturally produced varieties.

American Evaluation

In the coffee industry, civet coffee is widely considered a novelty product. The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) states that "industry consensus is that it tastes quite poor." The SCAA quotes a coffee expert's comment: "Obviously, the selling point of civet coffee is its story rather than its quality. Using SCAA standards, civet coffee scores two points lower than the lowest score of three other coffees. It can be inferred that the processing of civet coffee dilutes the fine acidity and flavor, making the taste more bland. Of course, many people seem to view this bland taste as an advantage of this coffee."

Tim Carman, food columnist for The Washington Post, once reviewed civet coffee sold in the United States and concluded that "it tastes just like Folgers Coffee. Like rotten, lifeless flavor. Like fossilized dinosaur droppings soaked in bathwater. I couldn't finish drinking it."

Production

Civet coffee production is extremely limited, making it particularly expensive. Sales locations are even rarer. It is uncommon even in its country of origin, Indonesia. Most civet coffee sold on the market therefore comes from artificially raised civets, and its flavor naturally differs from the most primitive, natural wild civet coffee.

Civet Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

FrontStreet Coffee's roasted wild civet coffee beans are fully guaranteed in both brand and quality. More importantly, they offer exceptional value for money: a 100-gram package costs around 250 yuan. Calculated at 15 grams per single-origin serving, one package can make 6 cups, with each cup costing only about 40-50 yuan. Compared with cafe prices that often exceed 100 yuan per cup, this represents excellent value.

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

If the civet story has sparked your curiosity about Indonesian coffee, the country's real classic is Mandheling. FrontStreet Coffee's Indonesian Wet-Hulled Mandheling begins with Sumatra, where Mandheling refers to Arabica from the island. It is mostly wet-hulled locally, and because the coffee is hulled while still half-dry and half-wet, the raw bean dries fully exposed to the air, giving the cup its typical herb and spice notes. FrontStreet Coffee's Mandheling comes from the Toba Lake area of the Lintong region and is roasted medium-dark to show the classic profile: low acidity, a thick body, and rich aromas of caramel, dark chocolate, and toasted bread with a long, sweet finish.

For a top-tier Indonesian cup, FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling is the standout. PWN is a trading company that buys only the best local Mandheling lots, and Golden Mandheling is its signature. Production follows strict defect-screening standards based on density, size, shape, and color, with one machine sort and one hand sort to guarantee full, even, large, translucent beans and to reduce the earthy, grassy notes. Freshly roasted, FrontStreet Coffee's PWN Golden Mandheling offers sandalwood, herbs, spice, roasted hazelnut, caramel, and dark chocolate, clean and rich with a mellow, sweet body, ideal for daily drinking or as a gift. And if you enjoy Indonesian boldness in an espresso, FrontStreet Coffee's Classic Blend builds on the old Mamba idea of Mandheling and Brazil, adding a small amount of Robusta and a dark roast so the dark chocolate, nut, and caramel aromas come through at full strength.