In the historical heart of Indonesia, Yogyakarta, beyond the exploration of the world-renowned Buddhist temple of Borobudur, lies an experience for the connoisseur—authentic Kopi Luwak, or civet coffee. This ancient city, rich in cultural heritage, is also one of the proud homes of this unique coffee. A correspondent from The Global Times made it a point to step into a suburban Kopi Luwak café during a recent visit to Yogyakarta, to meet the fabled civet said to produce these distinctive coffee beans, and to taste the genuine brew.
Encounter with the Aromatic Alchemy
Lina, the café’s hostess, presented the coffee to the reporter on a quaint little table. The small cup exuded an aroma that seemed purer and more refined than that of regular coffee. Taking a sip of the hot beverage, the smooth liquid glided into the mouth with a gentle acidity and virtually no bitterness, leaving a fruity aftertaste. Unlike with regular coffee, which the reporter would normally temper with sugar and milk, the Kopi Luwak stood perfectly on its own.
Kopi Luwak, also known as “civet coffee,” derives its name from its unusual production process. Lina explained to the reporter that civets, native to the Indonesian island of Java, feed on tropical fruits and have a particular fondness for coffee cherries. They digest the flesh of the fruit and excrete the beans intact. The beans retrieved from civet excrement have a flavor profile unlike any other due to this natural “processing.”
Driven by curiosity about this remarkable animal, the reporter eagerly followed Lina to the cat enclosure, where several civets with greyish-yellow fur and sleek bodies were seen lounging on branches, larger than the average domestic cat, lazily resting with their eyes closed.
Lina shared that these civets freely forage in the orchards daily, favoring the ripe coffee cherries. As to why their excrement is aromatic, she attributed it to the civet’s digestive system. The coffee beans undergo a natural fermentation process within the civet, where enzymes break down the bean’s husk, altering its internal composition. The civets’ diet of jungle fruits like bananas and papayas contributes to the mellowing of the coffee’s bitterness and imparts a unique fragrance during this natural fermentation.
The civet’s consumption and excretion of coffee cherries is just the first step in the production of Kopi Luwak. The reporter learned about the complex subsequent process at the café. After the beans are excreted by the civets, farmers meticulously wash and dry them before they’re delivered to the Kopi Luwak café.
The café staff patiently shelled the dried beans one by one, and the reporter joined in to experience this step. The trick to shelling, as the staff revealed, was to find the seam of the bean and apply even pressure to peel it apart. Lina noted that most of the processing at their café is done by hand to preserve the coffee’s original flavor to the greatest extent.
For some, the “production method” of Kopi Luwak may be hard to stomach, but it is precisely this natural fermentation that endows the beans with their unique flavor profile. Lina explained that civets are extremely selective when it comes to picking coffee cherries, only consuming the ripest and highest quality fruit to “ensure” the quality of the final product.
Moreover, after fermenting in the civet’s body, the beans are rich in antioxidants, which can help slow aging. Kopi Luwak also contains less caffeine than regular coffee, reducing the potential for anxiety or palpitations in sensitive individuals.
Due to the limited number of civets and the high cost of manual collection and processing, Kopi Luwak has become a luxury in the coffee world, commanding a high price.
It is said that early European colonists initially dismissed Kopi Luwak as an inferior product due to its “peculiar” production method. However, once they tasted it, they were captivated by its deliciousness, and the reputation of Kopi Luwak spread far and wide, becoming a status symbol among the elite.
Yogyakarta has become an important source of Kopi Luwak due to its unique natural environment and long history of coffee cultivation. Nestled against volcanoes, with fertile soil and a moist climate conducive to coffee plant growth, and a relatively large population of wild and domesticated civets, the region has become one of the world’s significant producers of Kopi Luwak.
