The World's Most Expensive Coffee: Kopi Luwak

Are you a coffee lover? What about a gourmet coffee lover? If so, you might have tried some premium brands of coffee like Green Mountain These coffees are small change compared to the world’s most expensive coffee. This coffee doesn’t come from the steep mountain slopes in Mexico or from Tanzania like Green Mountain coffee does. This coffee doesn’t even come from Colombia, as do many other premium coffees and gourmet coffees. This very unusual gourmet coffee, kopi luwak, originates in Indonesia.

Okay, there’s nothing strange about coffee beans growing in Indonesia. But these coffee beans are ultimately the product of civet cats, or more precisely, the palm civet. This animal, a small Asian mammal, prefers to eat the sweetest, ripest berries. It chews the outside covering from the beans and then swallows the remaining berry whole. As the berries travel through the civet’s digestive system, they acquire a unique taste.

The cats eliminate the beans whole. Proteolytic enzymes from the animal’s stomach alter the amino acids in the beans, giving them a very mild flavor. After about 36 hours, the beans are defecated by the civet cats, usually in clumps. The beans are then gathered, washed thoroughly, and dried in the sun. Once dry, the beans are lightly roasted, and they become kopi luwak coffee.

What does kopi luwak taste like?

There are several different species of beans that are eaten and harvested from palm civets, including Arabica, Liberica, and Robusto, so the taste varies. For the most part, however, kopi luwak has an amazingly smooth taste, with no trace of bitterness. Even so, the coffee is very rich and full bodied. Some coffee drinkers describe kopi luwak as having chocolate, orange, floral, and/or butter undertones.

How much does kopi luwak cost?

As I’ve already mentioned, kopi luwak is the most expensive coffee in the entire world. In 2009, kopi luwak coffee demanded about $1,400 a pound. It’s cheaper in the Philippines and can be found there for the bargain basement price of just $300 a pound. How much does that equal in cost per cup??

Below, you can buy smaller amounts of kopi luwak coffee, along with kopi luwak blends, for much more reasonable prices! Give it a try!