A rich, bold flavor and luckily very little aroma. I bought four packages at the Ubud market in Bali before I was informed that Luwak coffee is made from none other than mongoose droppings. I pull up to the private home that doubles up as a café to find a family of seven caring for a coffee compound complete with a lush flower-filled garden and temple.
A young man emerges from the back carrying a tray with several small cups of various coffees: coconut, vanilla, ginger – all real, natural ingredients. 
I taste each one with the exalted enthusiasm that only a coffee lover can have (yes, I am one of those who thinks there is too much blood in the caffeine system). I just begin to feel the rush of the java juice, when he asks, ‘would you like to try coffee from animal?’
‘From animal’? I blurt out. Visions of skin, teeth and bones appear out of nowhere. ‘Yes, animal, he insists, good for circulation and headaches.’ ‘Mmm, no thanks I’m good,’ I mumble. We continue to chat in the hot afternoon sun as he tells me about his family and the organic coffee trees, when something else he says catches my attention. Poop. Did he just curse? Animal poop – ohhhh, the light bulb goes off and my eyes widen as he shows me the dried specimens. Yes, coffee from animal.
He explains how the mongoose eats the coffee berries that fall from the tree, creates enzymes during digestion, and then pops out ‘beans’ ready for drying, cleaning and roasting. Well in that case, bring me a cup! 
I pay more than I would for a Starbucks coffee and enjoy the experience, organic as it can get. Some of the rarest and most expensive coffee in the world, this brew is known for its low caffeine content. The digestive enzymes in the stomach of the mongoose enhance the fermentation and purification process. The natural process continues by not using machinery which, as everyone knows, means that it is made with care. No animals are harmed in the making of this coffee. I gently suggest to the owner that when he presents ‘coffee from animal’ to future guests it might be best to add the word ‘poop’ to the end of his sentence.
Am I happy about the purchase I made at the market? A few friends will be getting some nice gifts from Bali upon my return.
Kopi Luwak Dewi Laksmi & Traditional House Compound
Br. Bucuan Negara Batuan, Gianyar, Bali
+62 (361) 7835256 +62 (361) 7835256
coffeeluwakbali@gmail.com
coffeeluwak-bali.blogspot.com
Kim Nightingale has lived in North America, the UK, Denmark, Japan and Australia. A great lover of travel, she has tasted her way through the coffees of Madras, homemade wines of Nepal, and the flavorful teas in Hong Kong. As a Journalist for the Copenhagen Post’s Entertainment section, she is always on the lookout for a strong brew, a stiff schnapps or a chill out place to drink her chilled whites.