by Darren Oliver
Entering the world of coffee, you’ve probably heard several times about Kopi Luwak, also known as “the most expensive coffee in the world”, which is produced with the help of the excrement of a small animal – the civet. This coffee is shrouded in many myths and half-truths, and the bubble of its prestige is artificially pumped with their help. Unfortunately, the reality is not as colorful as it might seem.
The production of Kopi Luwak is a process that is based on animal suffering, which is scrupulously concealed so as not to destroy the image of exclusivity, luxury, and uniqueness of this type of coffee, which has been promoted for years. But for us, the modern world of coffee is based on equality and justice – and this is what the coffee industry intends to fight for. So, let’s explore the myths that have grown up around the iconic Kopi Luwak and find out why they are half-truths at best.
What You’ll Learn
- The history and myths surrounding Kopi Luwak, often referred to as “the most expensive coffee in the world”.
- How the production process of Kopi Luwak often involves animal suffering and unethical practices.
- The role of digestive enzymes in a civet’s stomach in influencing the taste of the coffee.
- The issues with mass production of Kopi Luwak and the cruel conditions in civet farms.
- The arguments for and against the use of wild civets in producing Kopi Luwak.
- The common instances of falsely labeled Kopi Luwak and the reasons behind it.
- The impact of Kopi Luwak’s popularity on other animals like bats, monkeys, and elephants.
- The possibility and methods of producing ethical Kopi Luwak without animal exploitation.
First, a Little History
The history of Kopi Luwak involves oppression from the very beginning. Dutch colonists in the 19th century ordered the people of Indonesia to give them all their coffee crops, forbidding them from harvesting coffee cherries for their use.
How did the natives deal with this? They began using beans excreted by small animals – civets – which they called luwak. Legend has it that they were supposed to be tastier than regular coffee. Why? The animals selected only the ripest coffee cherries, and after the digestion process, all the pulp was naturally removed from the bean, leaving only the processed beans.
The digestive enzymes in the civet’s digestive system were supposed to cancel out the bitterness and give the beans pleasant, subtle notes. Once news of this reached the Dutch, it quickly spread around the world, where it is still hosted even today in pop culture: just to mention one example alone: it was an important motif in the hit movie The Bucket List starring Morgan Freeman.
The Science Behind Kopi Luwak
But is there truth behind the legend of Kopi Luwak’s exceptional taste? It turns out there is. Digestive enzymes in the animal’s stomach penetrate deep into the structure of the bean and break down proteins. This is important because protein is largely responsible for the bitterness of coffee. This is a discovery that scientist Massimo Marcone made in 2004. However, during his tests, he learned one more thing – having the research tools, he was able to check whether coffee sold as Kopi Luwak is actually legit: according to his research, 41% of coffees sold as Kopi Luwak were not Kopi Luwak, or were a blend of Kopi Luwak with other beans.
Kopi Luwak’s Biggest Problem
The world has gone crazy about Kopi Luwak. A kind of atmosphere and an air of elitism and luxury has been created around this particular type of coffee. It has been called the most expensive coffee in the world (which is not true, Kopi Luwak is not even close to being the most expensive), in some places special certificates are issued confirming that a person has had the opportunity to taste this “specialty”, and the whole environment, as well as the way the beans are produced, has made the beans very popular. However, Kopi Luwak has its dark side: as demand increased, a way had to be created to mass-produce the grains.
Initially, the grains were harvested from the feces of free-living, wild civets. However, immense popularity changed everything. Wanting to maximize profits, huge caged civet farms began to be established. On these farms, the animals are stuffed with coffee cherries, regardless of their type and ripeness (recall that the whole uniqueness of Kopi Luwak was that the animals chose only the best and most ripe fruits).
The civets live in atrocious conditions, often compared to industrial chicken farms, and the way they are raised may even threaten the extinction of individual civet species. Investigations by PETA and the BBC have revealed that lacking access to proper natural conditions, some civets begin to behave in unnatural ways, if only by trying to chew through metal cages.
Let it serve as proof of the awful conditions that Tony Wild, responsible for popularizing Kopi Luwak in Europe, himself launched the “Cut the Crap” campaign to abolish civet breeding for Kopi Luwak production.
But What About Wild Civets?
The counter-argument that is often used by Kopi Luwak supporters is that if we only took coffee from the droppings of wild civets the whole process would be done ethically. While at first glance this may seem like a convincing and reasonable argument, unfortunately, it has no reference to reality. You may come across Kopi Luwak from “wild civets” on the Internet, but this often has no relation to the facts. First of all, there is no way to verify that this is true. There are no popular certificates proving the “truthfulness” of the coffee’s origin from wild civets. What’s more, there is usually no way to even verify that our beans have actually passed through the stomach of a civet.
Why Is Your Kopi Luwak Probably Fake?
Driven by the desire for profit, producers often give the name Kopi Luwak to beans that have had no contact with civets. This is because the profits are huge, while verification is expensive and hard to come by. This is a practice that takes place, especially in touristic Asian countries, where Kopi Luwak sometimes functions as a “tourist trap.” Chemicals are even added to some beans to make the taste of ordinary coffee more similar to that of the “world’s most expensive” one.
Not Only Civets…
The suffering doesn’t end with civets – the wave of popularity that Kopi Luwak has gained has created other coffees advertised as having been previously digested by other animals. Bats, monkeys, and even elephants are used in this way. The use of animals in this way is, for the time being, an issue raised very rarely in the coffee world. However, the fight for animal liberation must be comprehensive. Let’s not forget that the fight against exploitation must include all animals.
Ethical Kopi Luwak – It Is Not What You Think!
Can Kopi Luwak be produced ethically? Yes, but differently than you think. After all, the idea is not to make animals live in “fairer” conditions, but not to exploit them at all. Is this possible? As much as possible. Earlier we mentioned the chemical processes that take place in the stomachs of animals. Knowing these processes in depth, we can produce them under artificial conditions without using animals.
Such experiments have been conducted at the University of Florida, for example, while the startup Afineur has developed a method to replicate the taste of Kopi Luwak using fermentation. Enzymatic soaking is also being used in Vietnam to produce large quantities of coffee that resemble the taste of the famous coffee in a short period of time.
Microbiologists have invented yet another method: seeding coffee beans with microbes that are also present in the animal’s gut, which is said to give a very similar flavor – all cruelty-free!
Key Takeaways
- Kopi Luwak’s image of exclusivity and luxury is often associated with unethical practices and animal suffering, contradicting the ideals of equality and justice in the modern coffee industry.
- The uniqueness of Kopi Luwak’s taste is due to the digestive enzymes in a civet’s stomach, but mass production methods often compromise the quality and authenticity of the beans.
- The label of Kopi Luwak is often falsely used to sell regular beans at a higher price due to lack of proper verification methods.
- The idea of sourcing Kopi Luwak from wild civets is impractical and often unverifiable, leading to further misinformation and unethical practices.
- The popularity of Kopi Luwak has led to the exploitation of other animals for similar coffee production methods.
- Ethical production of Kopi Luwak is possible through artificial replication of the chemical processes that occur in the civet’s stomach, providing a cruelty-free alternative.
See Why You Should Avoid It?
Kopi Luwak is probably the type of coffee that is shrouded in many myths. Starting with “the world’s most expensive coffee” to the unclear sourcing of the beans, Kopi Luwak is used as a marketing ploy that is not worth the price.
Is it worth trying? The simple answer is no. At best, your coffee will be fake, at worst, paid for by animal suffering. However, there is light at the end of the tunnel, thanks to today’s technology we are able to achieve a similar taste without the suffering of animals – and may these initiatives drive outdated, cruel practices from the market.