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

The Origin of Black Ivory Coffee

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

Elephant dung coffee has the rather artistic name Black Ivory Coffee. All the beans are Arabica, grown on mountains above 1,500 meters in Chiang Rai. After the beans are picked they are fed to the elephants. The elephants excrete them, and the staff who care for the animals dig through the dung to select the beans, wash them, and dry them. The coffee then sells for 34,000 Thai baht (5,000 RMB) per kilogram, with roughly 10,000 beans to a kilogram. Since its launch in October 2012, elephant dung coffee has caused quite a sensation.

Experts explain that during digestion some of the proteins responsible for bitterness are consumed, so the coffee is rich in flavor without bitterness and leaves a fragrant aftertaste. That, at least, is what I have heard; I have not tried it myself.

Elephant dung coffee now costs more than civet coffee. A single cup runs 1,200 Thai baht, about 240 RMB. Part of the revenue is donated to the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation in Chiang Rai, with the hope of rescuing elephants in Thailand. If any of you have tried it, do share your experience.

Production Process

Ready for the production process behind elephant dung coffee?

The 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 better it in some ways. He also invited food scientist Massimo Marcone of the University of Guelph in Canada, the very researcher who uncovered the secret behind Kopi Luwak's unique flavor, to carry out research. After ten years of effort, this elephant dung coffee finally reached the market.

Would You Dare Try This Precious Elephant Dung Coffee?

Because supply is extremely limited, it is sold only in a handful of five-star hotels worldwide, and at a high price. In August 2013, Black Ivory Coffee officially overtook 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 won recognition and a following from coffee lovers worldwide.

Civet coffee is the least-produced coffee in the world. A 50-gram package of beans costs 1,500 yuan and makes only 3-4 cups, working out to about 400 RMB a cup. Global annual production does not exceed 400 kilograms. Now, villagers in these regions not only collect wild civet droppings but have also begun raising 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 them all. Civet coffee produced this way naturally suffers badly in taste. "Scarcity makes things valuable," which keeps the price of Kopi Luwak, this rare treasure, consistently high. To drink a cup of such coffee, you would probably need to prepare 50 pounds, and it is 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, 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. On the international market it has consistently stayed around USD 1,000.

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

On 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 by washed or natural methods to remove the skin, pulp, and parchment layer and finally extract the beans. Luwak coffee, however, relies on the natural fermentation process inside a wild animal.

Problems with Civet Coffee

There is a coffee called "civet coffee" that uses beans digested by civets. At least three factors have damaged its reputation and sales:

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

2. Many people believe civets transmitted the SARS virus to humans. In 2004 the Chinese government ordered the elimination of all civets in Guangdong province, and along with that came public concern about the safety of this coffee. Although research has shown that even if it contained the SARS virus, the virus would be killed during the high-temperature coffee processing, this still cannot fully remove some people's worry.

3. Related statistics show that about 50% of the "civet coffee" on the market is fake. On top of that, even genuine "civet coffee," though high in quality, is hard for ordinary people to distinguish from regular coffee.

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

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

For a taste of the world's most prestigious coffee without the novelty, FrontStreet Coffee's Panama Red Label Geisha is the connoisseur's choice. Fanning out from Panama's most famous estate, Esmeralda, it grows in the Boquete area of Chiriqui province, where fertile volcanic soil, old-growth forest, and year-round mist plus ample rain create exceptional growing conditions.

In the cup, Panama Geisha shows an elegant, fragrant floral note with citrus, peach, and full, complex fruit acidity, a creamy smooth body, and a finish carrying the sweet aroma of oolong tea. The flavors are so refined that it can feel less like drinking coffee than sipping a fragrant fruit tea, which is what makes Geisha one of the benchmark coffees of the modern specialty era.

Geisha is delicate and particular about its environment, so it rewards a careful pour-over: a medium-light grind and water at about 91°C let the floral and stone-fruit layers emerge without any harshness.