Kopi Luwak, Cat Poop, Say What?!

It's not secret that I love coffee. Iced, hot, lattes, espresso beans, ice cream, candy, mole sauce... if it's coffee-flavored I'll take it. And, I think as much as I love coffee, I hate poop. I am completely disgusted with bathroom humor and it takes a very high comfort level for me to be able to talk about bathroom-related things with anyone.

So when I got wind of kopi luwak, also known as civet coffee, I was really struck with a strong mix of emotions - anger, disgust, interest... Kopi luwak is, simply put, cat poop coffee. And it is crazy expensive! Like, a cafe in Canada is charging a whopping $25 per cup (well, that's only $24.70 American dollars so I guess it's not that bad). And the rate per pound can range from $100 to $600! Apparently these Asian Palm Civets love to eat coffee berries. I guess they're sort of cat-like, but they look more like rats to me. Really though let's be reasonable, how appetizing is "rat poop" coffee?

Anyhow, they eat the coffee berries and then, of course, you know, go. Then, creepy Indonesian men like this guy collect their goings, clean and filter them, and then sell them to silly coffee lovers across the world.

The kopi luwak has a less bitter taste and, as one coffee critic describes it, "the aroma is rich and strong, and the coffee is incredibly full bodied, almost syrupy. It’s thick with a hint of chocolate, and lingers on the tongue with a long, clean aftertaste." I'd think you wouldn't want the cat poop to linger on your tongue, but what do I know?
With the tough economy, I would assume entrepreneurial-minded cat-owning Americans would be jumping on this craze! In fact, I myself might go get a coffee plant, feed its berries to my mother's cats, and start cashing in. Or maybe to my mom's pug... pugs are cuter than cats anyway.