If you’ve traveled to Southeast Asia, you might have noticed a recurring offer on menus.
A pricier version of coffee called civet coffee (or ‘kopi luwak’, as it’s known in Indonesia). Or maybe you’ve heard of these uniquely processed coffees in a more informal sense… possibly as monkey-dropping coffee.
Regardless of the name, the drink is the same.
Civet coffee comes from the droppings of civets.
Civets are small mammals that resemble a blend between a cat and a raccoon. (My apologies for the description, I’m not a biologist.) These timid, nocturnal creatures live in the tropical forests in East Africa and across South Asia and Southeast Asia.
I think you might know what happens next.
If you don’t, let’s explore what civet coffee is and why you should be very discerning about where you drink it. (If you drink it at all.)
Straight from the civet: alternative processing at its finest
Coffee plants have bright red berries, sometimes called cherries. Inside are delectable seeds that humans have been roasting, grinding, and steeping for centuries.
The civet also likes the coffee plant. These little guys are known to eat its berries, along with the seeds inside.
Here’s the short of how civet coffee came to be: Dutch traders brought Ethiopian coffee beans to Indonesia, where locals began growing coffee in spades.
Local palm civets went to town on these coffee bushes. Some ate so many berries that their scat was almost entirely composed of beans and berry remnants.
Someone noticed and made a really big decision. That decision involved cleaning and roasting those digested beans. And then drinking the coffee from that yield.
‘The Holy Grail of Coffee’
Why—why—why—would someone drink coffee that coffee, you might ask?
Well, it tastes good. (Allegedly.)
A civet’s digestive tract changes the composition of amino acids in the coffee beans, which in turn leads to a slight malting process. That malting process yields a softer taste.
Coffee drinkers around the world have developed a serious taste for this softer variation. It peaked in the early 2000s, at which point civet coffee was dubbed the ‘Holy Grail of coffee’ thanks to its commanding price in coffee markets.
It’s considered a novelty amongst hardcore coffee fans—but let’s dig a bit deeper here.
During my research, I was stunned to learn that actual coffee connoisseurs don’t usually enjoy this unusual brew. Critics seem to believe what’s on sale here is the commodity—not the actual taste.
According to one expert coffee drinker, civet coffee tastes like Folgers.
Why you should twice about drinking civet coffee
Fast forward to 2024 and civet coffee has put a bad taste in the mouths of many drinkers… but not for the reason you might be thinking.
From the outside looking in, harvesting a few coffee bean-rich animal droppings isn’t bad. Humans have odd tastes, after all.
The problem here is the drink’s rise in popularity has led to substandard animal treatment in countries where it’s produced. At worst, civets are placed in battery cages and force-fed coffee beans. At best, they’re kept in regular cages.
Even if you’re not into animal welfare, this should immediately raise some questions.
Civet coffee is pricey, costing upwards of $20 a cup for a subpar variation. If you’re going to pay that amount, then you might want to invest in a cup that’s ethically sourced and more mindfully produced.
My point: the coffee will taste better if the civet isn’t distressed and unhealthy.
Unfortunately, finding ethical civet coffee is a struggle. In fact, civet treatment is such a problem that the businessman who brought civet coffee to the Western world has since backtracked on the industry.
Not only for its cruelty but also for the increasingly blurred lines of finding legitimate civet coffee.
Is it really off-limits?
I’d heartily advise you to avoid this delicacy unless you’ve done your research.
That being said, civet coffee can be ethical and sustainable.
Interestingly, the man who brought civet coffee to the world (Tony Wild, linked in the article above) has since backtracked on that first backtracking. Ethical civet coffee production does exist.
So, what does an ethical cup look like?
Well, the roasters should be harvesting the poo rather than keeping civets captive. To support healthy civets, harvesters should be supporting their immediate habitat.
In my research, I’ve located one civet coffee company that openly discusses its civet bean sourcing. Here’s why I think The Poop Coffee is a solid choice if you want to order and sample civet-processed beans.
The Poop Coffee abides by three important ethical and sustainability standards.
First, no civets are held in captivity. They’re wild, coffee berry-eating fiends.
Second, coffee beans are harvested naturally by scouring the forest floor.
Third, their coffee ‘farm’ is located near the civet’s natural habitat, letting them source truly wild coffee-bean-laden droppings while also supporting the local community.