Kopi Luwak: The World's Finest Coffee Is A Wonder Of Nature
True connoisseurs of coffee discuss their favorite beverage the way wine lovers speak of their favorite vintages
. While the most expensive wines can be found wanting at times, the world's finest coffee, kopi luwak, invariably presents an extraordinary taste experience.Kopi luwak is one of Indonesia's better known exports, making the nation of islands the world's third largest coffee producer. To understand why kopi luwak is considered the world's finest coffee, and how is kopi luwak made, a bit of "coffee college" is in order.
First, there are only two types of coffee beans in the world: Arabica, a variety obtained from the original coffee trees developed in Ethiopia, and Robusta, a smaller, rounder bean developed to grow in warmer climates.
Arabica beans account for about 70 percent of the world's coffee market, with Colombia the top coffee-producing country. Arabica coffee trees are the divas of the coffee world: They grow best at altitudes between 2,000 and 6,000 feet above sea level, require temperatures between 60 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit and drink up about 60 inches of rain per year.
In contrast, Robusta trees produce about 30 percent of the world's coffee. Robustas are heartier trees than Arabica and thrive at lower altitudes in warmer temperatures (to a maximum of 85 degrees F). Robusta coffee trees grow successfully throughout Southeast Asia and in Brazil, the world's leading coffee producer.
However, this vigor comes at a price. Coffee produced from Robusta beans is more bitter than that of Arabica. It also packs a bigger caffeine wallop, as much as 50 percent more jolt than Arabica beans. That's why many mass-market coffees are ground from a combination of Arabica and Robusta beans, to balance flavors with strength.
Standing far beyond the average morning cup is the delicacy that is kopi luwak. How is kopi luwak made? The wonder of nature that produces the world's finest coffee involves an unlikely cooperation between Robusta coffee trees, some heartier varieties of Arabica trees and a small Asian animal known as a civet.
Coffee trees produce fruit that civets love to eat. In fact, the civets naturally select the ripest, most succulent of the red coffee cherries, which contain both fruit and seed. A unique combination of enzymes in the civet's digestive system breaks down the proteins that make Robusta coffee so bitter by itself. However, the civets don't digest the coffee beans. Instead the beans are excreted, collected by the coffee farmers, thoroughly washed and sun-dried. Then the beans are lightly roasted at high temperature to protect the complex symphony of flavors that results from this process.
In its earliest days, kopi luwak was made from civet deposits collected in the wild. Today, civets are kept on farms and allowed to roam in contained areas. Their deposits are collected, the beans are processed, and then kopi luwak coffee beans are sold.
While consumers may have concerns about how is kopi luwak made, history has shown that this extraordinary coffee has resulted in no illness to humans. Furthermore, say its producers, the process of washing and sun-drying the beans, along with the high-temperature roasting process, eliminates bacteria. Each batch of kopi luwak results in commonalities of taste and body, but no two batches are identical because of variations in the civets' diet. What makes kopi luwak unique is its aroma, its smooth taste, and some similarities of flavor. Those who love their coffee roasted at the Cinnamon to Medium levels will enjoy kopi luwak.
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