a sweet taste and an eschatological origin. Kopi Luwak coffee, the most expensive in the world, hides a dark secret that has sparked controversy over animal cruelty.
coffee is much more than an invigorating substance. the true fans of this drink conceive the moment of savoring a cup as a whole ritual. So much so that it has already risen to the gourmet category and its followers fervently seek the most outstanding and exquisite varieties. nothing to do with roasting, but natural beans with a luxury label.
Reading: Cafe mas caro del mundo kopi luwak
among all of them, the most expensive coffee in the world stands out as the pinnacle of exclusivity. This is the kopi luwak, from Indonesia, whose exorbitant price can be explained by its shady and eschatological production.
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behind a sip of this coffee variety hides a very unique flavor, the result of a obscure way of achieving it punctuated by controversy. Kopi luwak coffee is obtained from the civet droppings, small Asian mammals similar to a raccoon with a monkey tail.
how much does the most expensive coffee in the world cost?
A cup of kopi luwak coffee can cost between 80 and 100 dollars, that is, between 74 and 92 euros approximately. this being the case, it becomes a tasting of a value far removed from what can be found on supermarket shelves or in the most prominent cafeterias.
Civets feed on insects and small reptiles, as well as fruits such as coffee berries. These animals precisely have the virtue of choosing these seeds at their optimum ripeness and, after digesting its pulp, secrete the whole grains in the form of feces. During the digestive process, its enzymes eliminate the bitterness and acidity of the coffee, giving the kopi luwak an intense flavor but much sweeter than traditional coffee.
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In short, the fame and price of the most expensive coffee in the world has its origin in the excrements of these mammals. but the controversy does not end here. the rise of kopi luwak and tourism in indonesia have colluded, giving rise to a chain of production of this coffee devoid of any ethics.
the dark side of kopi luwak coffee
in the beginning, this coffee was collected from the feces of civets in the wild. These animals attacked the orchards to feed on fruits, which is why they were considered a plague. but as a result of the growing production and demand for coffee, massive farms dedicated to its production have proliferated. as a consequence, the civets are captured and locked up in small cages where the conditions are very precarious. wire mesh and bars that injure animals and whose lack of freedom, movement and hygienic conditions are very detrimental to their well-being. many fall ill and move frantically in their peculiar cells, even failing.
Several organizations have publicly denounced the situation and are working to put an end to this devastating practice. among them, scientists from the research unit of the oxford university , an investigation published by the bbc discovering animal cruelty and people for the etic treatment of animals (peta).
But aside from the unsanitary conditions in the cages, the civets are fed only on coffee beans. while in the wild they freely choose the best quality and feed on other fruits, insects and reptiles, on these farms they are forced to exclusively consume coffee berries. for this reason, the quality of kopi luwak is no longer such. a situation that has in fact led many experts to warn of the difficulty of determining when this coffee is really from free range production and when it comes from massive farms, with fraudulent labels > who try to hide this situation.
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