The Origin of Black Ivory Coffee: Which Country Produces the Most Expensive Elephant Dung Coffee

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The Origin of Black Ivory Coffee

Black Ivory Coffee, also known as "elephant dung coffee," is coffee made from coffee beans digested and excreted by Thai elephants, produced at the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation. The enzymes in the elephant's digestive system break down proteins in the beans during digestion, making it nearly free of the bitterness typical of ordinary coffee.

Elephant dung coffee has a rather artistic name called Black Ivory Coffee. All coffee beans are Arabica beans, grown on mountains over 1500 meters above sea level in Chiang Rai. After the coffee beans are picked, they are fed to elephants. The elephants then excrete them, and the staff who care for the elephants dig through the elephant dung to select the coffee beans, wash them, and dry them. They are then sold at 34,000 Thai baht (5,000 RMB) per kilogram, with about 10,000 beans per kilogram of coffee. Since its launch in October 2012, elephant dung coffee has caused quite a sensation.

Experts explain that during the elephant's digestive process, some proteins that cause bitterness are consumed, making the elephant dung coffee rich in flavor without bitterness, leaving a fragrant aftertaste. However, this is just what I've heard—I haven't tried it myself.

Now, the price of elephant dung coffee has exceeded that of civet coffee. A cup of elephant dung coffee costs 1,200 Thai baht, about 240 RMB. Part of the revenue will be donated to the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation in Chiang Rai, hoping to be used for rescuing elephants in Thailand. If any of you have tried it, please remember to share your experience.

Production Process

Ready for the production process of elephant dung coffee?

This coffee is produced and wholesaled by Black Ivory Coffee Company, founded by Canadian Blake Dinkin. Before this, he spent years researching and experimenting around the world to develop a coffee that could rival Kopi Luwak or even be better in some ways. He also invited food scientist Massimo Marcone from the University of Guelph in Canada (the very person who uncovered the secret behind Kopi Luwak's unique flavor) to conduct research. After ten years of effort, this elephant dung coffee finally came to market.

Would You Dare Try This Precious Elephant Dung Coffee?

Due to its extremely limited supply, it is only sold in a few five-star hotels worldwide, and at a high price. In August 2013, Black Ivory Coffee officially defeated Indonesia's civet coffee (Kopi Luwak) to become the world's most expensive coffee.

Are There Other Coffees Produced Using Similar Methods?

Yes, before this, civet coffee had already gained recognition and pursuit from coffee enthusiasts worldwide.

"Civet coffee" is the world's least produced coffee. A 50-gram package of coffee beans costs 1,500 yuan and can only make 3-4 cups of coffee. This works out to about 400 RMB per cup. The global annual production does not exceed 400 kilograms. Now, villagers in these areas not only collect wild civet excrement but have also begun to raise civets in captivity. Large baskets of picked coffee cherries are placed in front of the civets, and hungry civets have no choice but to eat all the coffee cherries. Civet coffee produced this way naturally suffers greatly in taste. "Scarcity makes things valuable," which has kept the price of Kopi Luwak, this rare treasure, consistently high. To drink a cup of such coffee, you'd probably need to prepare 50 pounds, and it's not necessarily available everywhere.

★ At the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, a coffee made from 12 grams of civet coffee powder cost 380 yuan, with a daily limit of 12 cups, which was in high demand and short supply.

★ In Bali, a cup costs over 200,000 Indonesian rupiah, equivalent to more than 150 RMB.

★ In the United States, 1 kilogram of civet coffee beans costs up to USD 1,200. In the international market, it has consistently remained around USD 1,000.

★ In the United Kingdom, a cup costs 50 pounds (500 RMB).

In the international market, Luwak coffee has always been a true luxury, mainly because this coffee is not made by humans but by wild animals. Traditionally, coffee cherries are processed using washed or natural methods to remove the skin, pulp, and parchment layer, finally extracting the coffee beans. However, Luwak coffee utilizes the natural fermentation process within wild animals.

Problems with Civet Coffee

There's a coffee called "civet coffee" that uses coffee beans digested by civets. However, at least three factors have negatively impacted this coffee's reputation and sales:

1. To produce this "civet coffee," civets are often kept in cages, and this treatment of animals is considered unethical.

2. People believe that civets transmitted the SARS virus to humans. In 2004, the Chinese government ordered the elimination of all civets in Guangdong province. Along with this came public concern about the safety of this coffee. Although research has shown that even if it contained the SARS virus, these viruses would be killed during the high-temperature coffee processing process, this still cannot completely eliminate some people's concerns.

3. Related statistics show that about 50% of "civet coffee" on the market is fake. Additionally, even genuine "civet coffee," although of high quality, is difficult for ordinary people to distinguish from regular coffee.

According to Blake Dinkin, the inventor of "elephant dung coffee," "elephant dung coffee" does not have the above problems.

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