Cat poop coffee, anyone?

Yes, you heard it right. There is coffee from cat poop, and that coffee is considered one of the most coveted and most expensive coffee in the world fetching a price of up to $1,000 or more a kilo. Whaaaaat??? That was my reaction.

The cat is called palm civet (Paradoxus Philippinensis) or what is locally known in the Philippines as alamid. Belonging to the Viverridae family , the civet’s general appearance is cat-like but it is actually different from the cats. The civet is mostly known for its production of musk that is a highly-valued fragrance and stabilizing agent for perfume (Source: Wikipedia). Hunted for its meat in the wild by man and other animals, the civet has suffered steady decline of population until it got popular recently because of its tasteful “poop”.

So, why does it has to be cat’s poop? The civet or alamid knows how to choose the right coffee berries in its ripeness and goodness. Their usual coffee berry preference are Arabica and Robusta. The distinctive taste of the civet coffee comes from the stomach acids and enzymes that somehow affect the chemical structure and thus, the distinctive taste of the coffee beans excreted by the civet or alamid. Because the beans are indigestible, they were harvested (gathered and collected), cleaned, roasted, packed and sold to the market. Practised by the locals living near the forests and the highlands since long ago, it has never gotten popular until much recently. It has gained notoriety or shall we say, popularity when its precursor Indonesian Kopi Luwak has gotten worldwide attention that enterprising people in the Philippines started to explore and ask around considering that Indonesia has the same topography as that of the Philippines.

Locally called Kape Alamid, its recent popularity has helped reduce the hunting of the said animals. In fact, locals are now encouraged to capture and/or the alamid to farm their feces or poop.

Quite frankly, I have not tried the coffee yet. But should somebody buy it for me, I would try to taste it. People were saying it has a distinctive taste and aroma mixed chocolate and hazel nuts. Hm…I shall reserve judgment until I tasted it. Coffee, anyone?