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Turd Coffee: An Indonesian Specialty

by Neil Woodburn (RSS feed) on Sep 11th 2007 at 1:26PM

Here at Gadling we just love educating our readers about bizarre foods they should look out for while traveling abroad.

Well, today, we have one of the strangest I've come across in a long time: turd coffee.

Turd coffee comes to us from Indonesia and is the byproduct of wild civets (photo above). And when I say byproduct, I mean byproduct.

The catlike animals feast on coffee beans, eating only the very best. Once the beans are inside their stomachs, enzymes eat away the proteins that lend coffee its bitter taste. The digestive process also strips the beans of some, but not all of their caffeine. 24 hours later, what remains of the beans is deposited on the forest floor along with whatever else the creature consumed the night before.

Farmers collect the dung, separate the beans, roast them, and then sell them for as much as $600 for a pound.

What?!?

Yes, folks, this is a rare delicacy that crosses cultures. Turd coffee, more correctly known as kopi luwak, is apparently some of the finest coffee in the world. According to a recent LA Times article, it is blessed with "a top note of rich, dark chocolate, with secondary notes that are musty and earthy."

Good luck finding it, though. Less than 1000 pounds of the beans are produced annually. And, much of what is for sale is apparently counterfeit; I'd hate to know what's in that turd coffee.

Filed under: Food and Drink, Indonesia

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

wheatshelf Sep 11th 2007 3:56PM

I'll just make my own turd coffee, thank you very much.

HotBabel Sep 11th 2007 3:43PM

What, you never heard of crappuccino?

charlotte whatley Sep 12th 2007 1:19PM

Tjurd coffee, spit beer. Whats next>

davmelcj Sep 12th 2007 2:58PM

I'll just have the water thanks.

kingkuhlman Sep 13th 2007 12:23AM

This whole world is literally going crazy.Dont we have better things to spend our money on? Get a life people !!!!

Greg Sep 13th 2007 12:24AM

They said only 1000 lbs are produced annually. Didn't anyone check for spelling errors? That's 1000 lbs are producded anally. Honest mistake.

Tim Sep 12th 2007 6:09PM

can I get a double doody latte ?

Tim Sep 12th 2007 6:10PM

Don't poo poo the idea. I would like a double doody latte

HotBabel Sep 12th 2007 6:59PM

Actually, I once tried this "kopi luwak" in a restaurant ($50 for a demitasse cup, thank you very much!) and it was certainly different--a bit tangy, believe it or not.

nick Sep 12th 2007 8:25PM

dunkin donuts makes the coolylatta, from people on the go..

nick Sep 12th 2007 8:48PM

the coffee at my local deli tastes like shit too..no wonder..

JAMES OWEN Sep 12th 2007 10:03PM

REMINDS ME OF THE TRIAL OFFER I RECEIVED FROM BOCCAJAVE WHOLE BEANS I RECEIVED LAST WEEK. ALONG WITH THE ONE GALLON SELF-PURIFING WATER JUG. THIS INDONEISEON CAT PRODUCES A RARE BEAN TURD. AND EXSPENSIVE. SEND ME A POUND AND I WILL RUN THEM THRU MY PURIFING WATER JUG AND GIVE YOU MY EXPERT ADVICE.

Jossy Sep 13th 2007 12:26AM

i don't drink coffe, gak. it tastes like army boot sock wash water to me. you people that drink it have no taste buds at all, none at all. if you did, you'd definitely catch a whiff of sweaty toejams if you lightly sniff a cup of coffee before you take your first swallow and then the jam taste would hit ya 'cause they float on top. can't see 'em but they're in there, believe me. also, you do realize it's speed, don't you? you're all drug addicts, hooked on caffeine. cut out your coffee and none of you would be able to move an inch, you'd all stand in one spot until you died. how pathetic you are. drink water, juice, and milk, they're good for you and have no toejams in them. honest!! seriously, i think coffee tastes like turd water too, yuck.

Gonzo Sep 13th 2007 10:51AM

I got your "Turd Coffee" right HERE! Now I know what to do with the "aftermath" of cleaning my wife's cat's litterbox.

cliff Sep 13th 2007 1:05PM

did i miss something ? what if it dont leave turds and has the runs ?

Fred Erenfeld Sep 13th 2007 7:13PM

TURDS FOR THE NERDS,SURPRISE, IT TASTES LIKE CRAPOOOO OR SHIT TOO..MONKEY BRAINS SOUNDS BETTER THAN THIS CRAP......

swag Sep 14th 2007 7:54PM

Yo! Rip Van Winkle...

This story is older than your grandmother's panties.

Hell, even Oprah scooped you by four years:
http://www.thecoffeecritic.com/fusion3/html/kopi.shtml

Ann Oct 9th 2007 11:06PM

I don't believe you HotBabel !

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