The furry undercarriage of Indonesian coffee production

Indonesia produces high quality coffee - or kopi in the national language. In fact Indonesia is the world’s 4^th largest coffee producer by volume after Brazil, Vietnam, and Colombia. The country is blessed with everything you need to grow good coffee: steady temperatures, sunshine, rain, and most importantly, fertile soil. Volcanoes create fertile soil, and Indonesia has a lot of those. There are 130 ACTIVE volcanoes in the archipelago, making it the hottest spot of all in the Pacific Ring of Fire. 

You're probably familiar with Indonesian coffees from the major islands. Perhaps you’ve sampled the earthy, smoky beans from Sumatra. Maybe you’ve tried Javanese or Papuan beans. But the smaller islands produce coffee as well - places like the former Portuguese trading centers of Flores and Sulawesi, as well as everyone’s favorite beach getaway, Bali.

Of all the locally-produced coffees, Indonesians may be proudest of Kopi Luwak. This particularly prized cup of joe is produced by harvesting coffee beans that have been eaten, digested and shat by the Asian palm civet.

Excuse me? Yes. You read that correctly. A little raccoon-like critter forages the best berries from the coffee bush. Then, his gut works some kind of amino acid-related magic. When the beans come out the back end, they are collected, roasted, ground, and French-pressed into some primo, grade-A coffee. 

I sampled the civet coffee once. It undoubtedly has a unique flavor. And it’s priced accordingly. We’re talking $50 per pound.

Many people are disgusted when they learn about this unique approach to coffee production. But not everyone. Some see an opportunity. When my father-in-law learned about the price of Kopi Luwak and the civet's important role, he remarked, “What's the civet’s cut of the profits? I’d like to apply for that job. I’m going to make an appointment with my proctologist and get my CV in order.”