Dare to drink Kopi Luwak!

What is your idea of an expensive cup of coffee? A cup of cappuccino made with the finest roasted beans? Intricately done coffee art? Maybe served in a cup of 24 carat gold? The truth is, the most expensive coffee in the world is actually Kopi Luwak, which comes from the feces of a small mammal called Luwak, and a single cup of this coffee can cost $35-80.

Luwak or palm civet of Indonesia is quite fond of coffee fruit or coffee cherries. The wild Luwaks eat only the finest coffee cherries and excretes them around 24 hours later. This feces is collected, washed, dried, pounded to remove the skin, sorted and finally roasted. This roasted coffee bean can be brewed like any other coffee, though it is advised to not add any sugar, milk or cream, so that its unique flavour can be experienced.

The fact that this coffee passed through the digestive tract and comes out of the anus of a mammal doesn't deter people who want a taste of this exotic flavour. Even if you want a taste, there are a few reasons you probably shouldn't buy this coffee.

Firstly, Luwaks in captivity do not get to choose the best coffee cherries as they can in the wild, and so it can be below standard. The farmers also tend to be cruel to the captive Luwaks. Moreover, dishonest businessmen tend to packet up normal coffee bean and sell them as Kopi Luwak. If you're set on buying this coffee, make sure the seller is certified by World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), Rainforest Alliance or UTZ (a label and programme for sustainable farming of coffee, cocoa, tea and hazelnuts).