Some of the most prized coffees in the world owe their fame (and their price) to the animals that digested and expelled them: they are the so-called “poop coffees”
It seems incredible to say, yet some of the most prized coffees in the world owe their taste, their organoleptic properties and their price to the fact having been ingested and defecated by animals.
There is even a name for these types of coffee: “poop coffee”, where nature and the economics of luxury meet in ways that are as bizarre as they are profitable.
Kopi Luwak, the pioneer of “defecal” coffee
Kopi Luwak, also known as “civet coffee”, is the progenitor of this category. Produced in Indonesia and South-East Asia, it comes from coffee berries ingested by the palm civet (a small nocturnal mammal).
The animal’s digestive enzymes ferment the grains, changing their chemical composition. The proteins responsible for bitterness are reduced, while the fats increase, giving the drink a more rounded taste, with notes of chocolate and caramel.
The prices are quite high: you go from 500 to over 1,200 euros per kilowith tips of $75 for a single cup for grains produced by wild civets.
However, behind this billion-dollar business lies a cruel reality. PETA Asia’s investigations have documented deplorable conditions on farms: Civets are often captured and confined in tiny, filthy cagesfed exclusively on coffee berries, an unnatural diet that causes malnutrition, hair loss and disease.
Many producers also fraudulently label farmed coffee as “wild-sourced” (of wild origin) to justify higher prices. For this reason, brands such as Harrods have stopped selling it.
Black Ivory
Even more exclusive is Black Ivory, produced in Thailand from grains digested by Asian elephants. Digestion, which takes 15 to 30 hours, breaks down the protein and pectin content, further reducing bitterness.
The result is a coffee with floral notes chocolate, cardamom, tobacco and sweet fruit. Production is extremely limited, also because they serve approximately 33 kg of cherries to obtain 1 kg of coffeeand the annual yield is around 150 kg.
The price exceeds $3,000 per kilowith a cup sold between 50 and 85 dollars in a few five-star hotels. Unlike the Kopi Luwak, the production supports the Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation, and elephants are not forced to eat berries.
Jacu Bird Coffee
Moving to Brazil, in Fazenda CamocimJacu Bird Coffee comes from the feces of the jacu, a pheasant-like bird.
The animal selects only the ripest berries, and its digestive system gives the coffee a distinctive hazelnut flavourwith an aftertaste of anise and sometimes notes of apricot and truffle.
Here too the price is quite high, and can exceed 1,100 euros per kilobeing appreciated for his floral aroma and balanced acidity. Animal welfare is respected: the birds live free and the harvest takes place naturally.
Coatí coffee
Remaining in South America, in Peru we find the coatí coffee. This product comes from coffee berries ingested and partially digested by the coatí, a small raccoon-like mammal that populates the country’s tropical forests.
Its digestive system slowly processes the cherries, releasing grains that are then harvested and roasted. The result is a coffee dal delicate flavour, light body and very low aciditywith notes reminiscent of chocolate and dried fruit.
Production is extremely limited, because each animal barely processes 25 grams per daywhich contributes to an average price that exceeds 1,000 euros per kilo on the international market.
Unlike Kopi Luwak, the coatí is often left free to choose the berries, and the harvest takes place in a non-invasive way, making this coffee one of the most ethical alternatives in the “poop coffee” panorama.
