Saturday, May 22, 2010

COFFEE THAT'S DELICIOUS DOWN TO THE VERY LAST DROPPING

It is one of the world's most expensive kinds of coffee.
Coveted around the world, to coffee connoisseurs it is the ultimate brew - right to the very last drop.
It's even been given the royal seal of approval - with comedian Stephen Fry giving some to Prince Charles as a wedding gift.
It is of course Civet or Kopi Luwak coffee.
Not for the squeamish, the delicious coffee has its origins from a highly unusual source - the droppings of a nocturnal, cat-like animal called the palm civet.
Civets can be found foraging and living in the mountains and forests of countries such as the Philippines and Thailand.
The popularity of the coffee is helps produce has also seen civet farms set up, where the creatures roam over an enclosed area just like free-range chickens.
Civets, which are related to the mongoose, are actually regarded as pests in the Philippines, but their droppings are worth their weight in black gold.
For the animals have a particular fondness for sweet, red coffee cherries, which they eat for their fleshy pulp.
Once ingested, the flesh is digested while the beans at the heart of these coffee cherries ferment inside the civet's stomach.
After spending around day and a half in the civet's digestive tract the still intact beans are excreted.
It is the enzymes in the civets' digestive system that help break down the bitterness in the beans and releases their hidden chocolate flavors.
Each day it is the job of local hunters to scour the forests and local areas in order to collect clumps of civet droppings.
These are then, thankfully, thoroughly washed before being dried in the sun. The final process sees the beans receive a light roasting and brewing.
The end product then sell for between $120 and $600 USD per pound, or around $50 for a single cup.

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