Texsox Posted December 30, 2005 Share Posted December 30, 2005 NEW YORK (Reuters) - Would you pay $175 for a pound of coffee beans which had passed through the backside of a furry mammal in Indonesia? Apparently, some coffee lovers wanting to treat themselves to something special are lapping it up. Kopi Luwak beans from Indonesia are rare and expensive, thanks to a unique taste and aroma enhanced by the digestive system of palm civets, nocturnal tree-climbing creatures about the size of a large house cat. "People like coffee. And when they want to treat themselves, they order the Kopi Luwak," said Isaac Jones, director of sales for Tastes of The World, an online supplier of gourmet coffee, tea and cocoa. Despite being carnivorous, civets eat ripe coffee cherries for treats. The coffee beans, which are found inside of the cherries, remain intact after passing through the animal. Civet droppings are found on the forest floor near coffee plantations. Once carefully cleaned and roasted, the beans are sold to specialty buyers. Jones said sales for Kopi Luwak rose three-fold just before the Christmas holiday compared with the first half of the year. The company started selling the rare coffee in February 2005. He expects to sell around 200 pounds of the coffee this year, with orders coming from North America and Europe. So far, most of the orders have been from California. Indonesia produces only about 500 kilograms, or roughly 1,100 pounds, of the coffee each year, making it extremely expensive and difficult to find. "It's the most expensive coffee that we know about in the world," said Jones. By comparison Jamaica's Blue Mountain coffee, considered to be an expensive type, sells for $35 to $40 per pound, while a pound of Colombia's Supremo arabicas can be bought for about $14. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sayitaintso Posted December 31, 2005 Share Posted December 31, 2005 Sounds.......ummm.....delicious....i guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knightni Posted December 31, 2005 Share Posted December 31, 2005 That was featured in an episode of CSI with Bobcat Goldthwait. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted December 31, 2005 Share Posted December 31, 2005 I saw something about on TV. I can't remember where. My buddy looked at me and, without realizing exactly what he was saying, said "No way I'd drink any of that s***." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Texsox Posted December 31, 2005 Author Share Posted December 31, 2005 QUOTE(YASNY @ Dec 31, 2005 -> 05:27 AM) I saw something about on TV. I can't remember where. My buddy looked at me and, without realizing exactly what he was saying, said "No way I'd drink any of that s***." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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