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

Professional Coffee Knowledge Exchange

For more coffee bean information, please follow Coffee Workshop (WeChat official account: cafe_style).

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 the roasting process. The global annual supply of these coffee beans does not exceed 400 kilograms. So, are more than 80% of the Kopi Luwak coffee on the market fake?

What is Civet Coffee?

Civet coffee (English: civet coffee, Indonesian: Kopi Luwak, Filipino: kape motit, kape alamid, kape melô, 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 some other places. It is one of the most expensive coffees in the world, with raw material beans costing $400 per kilogram and finished products selling for $1,000 per kilogram. According to an interview with 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 its 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 omnivorous animal. Besides eating seeds, it also consumes insects, snakes, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Therefore, the droppings of truly wild civets contain various mixed substances. Local Indonesian farmers capture civets for breeding, feeding them coffee beans to produce the coffee. However, 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. Furthermore, sales locations are even rarer. It's uncommon even in its country of origin, Indonesia. Therefore, most civet coffee sold on the market comes from artificially raised civets, and its flavor naturally differs from the most primitive and natural wild civet coffee.

Civet Coffee Bean Brand Recommendations

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

About FrontStreet Coffee

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

Important Notice :

前街咖啡 FrontStreet Coffee has moved to new addredd:

FrontStreet Coffee Address: 315,Donghua East Road,GuangZhou

Tel:020 38364473