Tasting The Animal Coffee

Warning: you may feel nausea after reading this post.

Mr Lim was very interested to try the kopi luwak or the animal coffee which was available in Seribatu village. He was sitting
with his wife (Fang), his sister, and his brother in law (Chiat Hau) on a bench in a plantation while trying different coffees available
in Bali. I thought he became interested after I explained how the coffee was made. If you want to know, I will tell you briefly.

The animal; the civet, or locally known called Luwak or Lubak, eat the coffee. But the coffee beans eaten is not broken or harm at all
when they go the Luwak esophagus. It is said that the coffee remains in the stomach for 12 hours and mixed with enzymes from the Luwak
body.

Then, here is the most dramatic moment: the Luwak go to toilet!

The coffee farmers collect the droppings of the luwak with joy filled their heart knowing that they will be able to produce one of
the tastiest coffee in the globe. The droppings is then poured into the glass, and mixed with hot water..... (please
don't read the crossed sentence). The droppings are then dried in the sun for about twenty one days. Finally, the coffee bean is
extracted.

Next, the coffee processing is similar to any other coffee making. They cleanse the coffee, and roast it, grind it, and made into
powder. The very coffee powder which that I was talking about was placed on the table before Mr Lim.

I asked the coffee seller to make a cup of animal coffee for Mr. Lim to taste. We were waiting eagerly since we were very curious
with the taste of that coffee which has gone a lot of places along the animal body.

When Chiat Hau (the brother in law) found me I never tasted the coffee, he poured a little bit to an empty glass. They ordered one
glass and divided it into four little glass since none of us never tried it.

First, Mr. Lim tasted it. Then we asked him what he thought. He said he could not explain. He could not find any words to describe
the taste. So, Chiat Hau tasted the coffee. He also said he could not say, could not explain either. Their wives also tried, they
could not describe what the coffee like.

Finally, I took a sip of the animal coffee. As the coffee reach my tongue, and flow to my pharynx, I feel different tastes. Maybe
sour, maybe sweet, maybe something else.

I could not explain either.

But they agree that it taste better than the Bali coffee.