Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
I like my cup o’joe in the morning,you to but I hesitate when it comes to shelling out five bucks for a cup of Starbucks. Never mind opening the vault for a cup of civet scat or elephant dung coffee. A cup of these exalted brews can set one back ten times that amount! Let me introduce you to the Asian common palm civet, a mammal native to South Asia that finds the fruit of the coffee tree, called coffee cherries, a particularly tasty treat. The seeds of the fruit, known as coffee beans, pass through the animal’s digestive tract intact and can be found in its poop from where they can be picked out, roasted and brewed into Kopi Luwak coffee, the name coming from the Indonesian “kopi” for coffee and “luwak” for civet.
The claim is that this coffee is particularly flavourful because the civet is a picky eater and selects the ripest cherries with the highest quality beans. Furthermore, when the beans pass through the civet’s digestive tract, enzymes secreted by bacteria partially break down proteins that are associated with a bitter taste, making for a smoother, milder cup of coffee. Since finding civet feces in the wild is to say the least, tricky, Kopi Luwak coffee is very expensive. Its unusual history, though, entices curiosity and confers an aura of luxury and a promise of a unique experience for which some consumers are willing to fork over their paycheck. They’re likely to end up disappointed because in blind tasting tests Kopi Luwak is ranked lower than high quality regular coffee. Indeed, there is no reason to credit this coffee with superior taste since there is nothing special about its chemical profile. Remarkably, there have been a number of such studies, in my view a waste of research funds, that have shown no difference from regular coffee aside from some minor changes in fat content.
There is also a dark side to Kopi Luwak in that the public fascination with its unusual source has resulted in some producers trying to cash in by lowering the coffee’s cost. This they do by capturing civets, keeping them in cages and force-feeding them a diet of coffee cherries. Animal rights activists have justifiably attacked this cruel practice and some producers now claim that their beans are “certified wild foraged.” Needless to say, these come at a premium price. I think the bottom line here is that no matter how sourced, the hype about Kopi Luwak surpasses the taste. I’ll pass on the coffee beans that have passed through the intestines of the civet cat.
“Elephant dung coffee” at least has no cruelty associated with it. Quite the opposite. It originates from beans that have passed through the digestive tract of elephants at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand. It seems elephants love coffee cherries and happily consume ones that are said to be handpicked to ensure quality. Digging through elephant poop, a more challenging adventure than picking up civet scat, accounts for the high price some of which is used to provide care for the elephants in the sanctuary. Black Ivory Coffee is offered in luxury establishments where it is ceremonially brewed at the table. However, what the affluent indulgers are really paying for is a captivating story rather than any unusual chemistry. For anyone searching for a special experience that will undoubtedly enliven a party conversation, Black Ivory Coffee is available for $4290 a kilo. I think I will stick to my cup of Keurig.
I like my cup o’joe in the morning,you to but I hesitate when it comes to shelling out five bucks for a cup of Starbucks. Never mind opening the vault for a cup of civet scat or elephant dung coffee. A cup of these exalted brews can set one back ten times that amount! Let me introduce you to the Asian common palm civet, a mammal native to South Asia that finds the fruit of the coffee tree, called coffee cherries, a particularly tasty treat. The seeds of the fruit, known as coffee beans, pass through the animal’s digestive tract intact and can be found in its poop from where they can be picked out, roasted and brewed into Kopi Luwak coffee, the name coming from the Indonesian “kopi” for coffee and “luwak” for civet.
The claim is that this coffee is particularly flavourful because the civet is a picky eater and selects the ripest cherries with the highest quality beans. Furthermore, when the beans pass through the civet’s digestive tract, enzymes secreted by bacteria partially break down proteins that are associated with a bitter taste, making for a smoother, milder cup of coffee. Since finding civet feces in the wild is to say the least, tricky, Kopi Luwak coffee is very expensive. Its unusual history, though, entices curiosity and confers an aura of luxury and a promise of a unique experience for which some consumers are willing to fork over their paycheck. They’re likely to end up disappointed because in blind tasting tests Kopi Luwak is ranked lower than high quality regular coffee. Indeed, there is no reason to credit this coffee with superior taste since there is nothing special about its chemical profile. Remarkably, there have been a number of such studies, in my view a waste of research funds, that have shown no difference from regular coffee aside from some minor changes in fat content.
There is also a dark side to Kopi Luwak in that the public fascination with its unusual source has resulted in some producers trying to cash in by lowering the coffee’s cost. This they do by capturing civets, keeping them in cages and force-feeding them a diet of coffee cherries. Animal rights activists have justifiably attacked this cruel practice and some producers now claim that their beans are “certified wild foraged.” Needless to say, these come at a premium price. I think the bottom line here is that no matter how sourced, the hype about Kopi Luwak surpasses the taste. I’ll pass on the coffee beans that have passed through the intestines of the civet cat.
“Elephant dung coffee” at least has no cruelty associated with it. Quite the opposite. It originates from beans that have passed through the digestive tract of elephants at an elephant sanctuary in Thailand. It seems elephants love coffee cherries and happily consume ones that are said to be handpicked to ensure quality. Digging through elephant poop, a more challenging adventure than picking up civet scat, accounts for the high price some of which is used to provide care for the elephants in the sanctuary. Black Ivory Coffee is offered in luxury establishments where it is ceremonially brewed at the table. However, what the affluent indulgers are really paying for is a captivating story rather than any unusual chemistry. For anyone searching for a special experience that will undoubtedly enliven a party conversation, Black Ivory Coffee is available for $4290 a kilo. I think I will stick to my cup of Keurig.
