Organically "processed" coffee

I swore I would never do it, but an opportunity presented itself to taste it, so I went for it. You know, to compare it with the regular coffee. I am talking about the bean extracted from the poop of a civet fed by high quality beans. It is advertised as “The most exotic, rich, smooth and excellent coffee in Bali.” In North America, it is quite expensive to taste it or buy it; here in Bali, a cup costs $5 (price of a good meal here), so I thought I would try it, alongside a cup of regular coffee, and compare it.

Civet (here called luwak), a cute nocturnal animal, lives in the trees and eats red coffee cherry. In its stomach, coffee beans undergo a chemical treatment and fermentation, and they pass through the digestive system. The excrement contains intact beans. They are collected, thoroughly washed, peeled, washed again, dried, roasted, and brewed.

I admit, the coffee was rich and smooth, but the truth is the civet are fed the best beans, so the coffee should be good. It was worth a try, but I will stay with my great espresso, which is a lot labour intensive but just as smooth.