We got a special gift at work recently from Vietnam. A pound of "weasel coffee" or cà phê Chồn. Known as Kopi Luwak in Indonesia, it is considered the most expensive coffee in the world.
Basically Asian Palm Civets (pictured above) eat the whole coffee berries. During the digestive process enzymes get into the beans and change their characteristics. The beans pass through the civet and are harvested from it's dung. The beans are then cleaned and roasted to create this rare coffee.
Cà phê chồn serverd Laos style over condensed milk
We brewed up a batch and everyone agreed, it had a great aroma and a smooth chocolate flavour. There was no bitterness and it tasted very rich. I drank mine Laotian style, poured over condensed milk, making sure to have a couple of sips before mixing.
I don't know what it is about the Asian Palm Civet that humans find so intoxicating, but the civets scent glands were also originally used to produce one of the world's most popular perfumes Chanel No. 5
Here is an interesting video about it's production process in Sumatra, which is the worlds largest producer of the bean.
These beans cost over 150 dollars a pound, or you can occasionally buy a cup at Manic Coffee on College street in Toronto for 15.00
