History of Kopi Luwak coffee

Kopi Luwak is the world’s most exclusive (and most expensive) coffee. The main factor of its high price is the uncommon method of production. It is produced from coffee beans which have been partially digested by the Indonesian palm civet and then excreted
Origin
The origin of kopi luwak is closely connected to the history of coffee production in Indonesia; Dutch colonialists established coffee plantations in Indonesia and imported beans from Yemen. In the 19th century, farmers in central Java started to brew and drink coffee from excreted beans collected at their plantations
Civet species
Civets are small carnivores. They belong to one of the most ancient families of Feliformia ("cat-like" animals): the Viverridae family. Whilst they are cat-like, civets are not cats.
​Like common palm civets, masked palm civets are popular pets in Indonesia and can be found in urban environments in greater numbers than before the civet pet trade became part of a popular wild pet subculture of urban and suburban young adults. Masked palm civets are often called "jumbo civets" by civet pet keeping enthusiasts on account for their larger size compared to their common palm civet cousins.
Kopi Luwak translated is coffee (kopi) and civet cat (luwak). Civets are primarily frugivores although some species are omnivores and also eat small animals, fruit, and vegetables, with some species also consuming nectar.
They are nocturnal mammals, choosing to come out and feed at night. They are found in Asia, Africa, and even the Iberian Coast in Europe.
Civet cats, also known as weasels, prefer to live in the jungle, although in recent years they have been found outside of their traditional habitats, and even in urban areas.
They are medium-sized creatures with a snout that does not appear cat-like at all, despite the rest of their body structure. In some ways, they look like a cross between a fox and cat. They are typically dark in coloration, either brown or black, with spots and stripes that are of a lighter brown color.
It is important to note that while they appear cat-like, they in fact not cats. Civets are a part of the Viverridae and Nandiniidae families, and they closer related to a mongoose than to any sort of cat.
Also, while they are often grouped together into one conglomerate, there are many kinds of civet cats throughout the world. In some areas they are protected, while in others they are seen as common pests.
Before being famous for Kopi Luwak, Civet cats were more valued for their musk — which was often added to perfumes and colognes.
In some areas of the world, they struggle to survive because of over-hunting and habitat loss; though they are currently not endangered. As civet cats adapt to the modern world, they have changed their habitats and eating habits along the way. This great capability for adaptation allows for them to keep moving with the times.
Taste
It is noticeably not bitter and is intensely aromatic. It has a complex flavor profile that is smooth, earthy and sweet with a hint of chocolate. 
The taste of kopi luwak varies with the type and origin of excreted beans, processing, roasting, aging, and brewing. The ability of the civet to select its berries, and other aspects of the civet's diet and health, like stress levels, may also influence the processing and hence taste.
The reason that Kopi Luwak coffee rose from being the drink of impoverished colonists to that of the modern elite is because of its unique taste. Even small differences in taste and consistency can set apart a relatively normal cup of coffee from something that is truly impressive. Coffee cupping is becoming a more and more serious event every year, and Kupi Luwak has a flavor that really stands up to the competition.
One of the biggest benefits of the coffee itself is the body. It has a smooth and easy-to-drink texture that makes it far too easy to guzzle down. Many fans praise the lack of the typical high-acidity aftertaste that is often found in cheaper coffees. This also makes it easier to drink for those who struggle with the high-acid content of traditional coffee beans.
As far as tasting notes are concerned, it depends greatly on the diet of the civet cat as well as the cherries themselves. Civet cats are naturally quite picky about what kinds of coffee cherries they will eat and that allows for a better taste in the coffee itself.
Some of the flavors that are commonly found in Kopi Luwak brews include rich earthy notes, chocolate, citrus, and lemon.
For those who think it might seem odd to combine citrus and chocolate together, simply imagine nibbling on a Christmas chocolate orange. Many leading experts have described the coffee having syrup and even jungle undertones, although jungle undertones may be hard to distinguish to the average coffee drinker’s palette.
Imitation
Several commercial processes attempt to replicate the digestive process of the civets without animal involvement. Researchers with the University of Florida have been issued with a patent for one such process. Brooklyn-based food startup Afineur has also developed a patented fermentation technology that reproduces some of the taste aspects of Kopi Luwak while improving coffee bean taste and nutritional profile.
Vietnamese companies sell an imitation kopi luwak, made using an enzyme soak which they claim replicates the civet's digestive process.
Imitation has several motivations. The high price of kopi luwak drives the search for a way to produce kopi luwak in large quantities. Kopi luwak production involves a great deal of labor, whether farmed or wild-gathered. The small production quantity and the labor involved in production contribute to the coffee's high cost. Imitation may be a response to the decrease in the civet population.
Critics & Controversy
Despite some misunderstanding, Kopi Luwak is not actually a type of coffee, but rather a method of production
Collecting beans from the excrement of wild palm civets is labor intensive, and it is these labor costs that primarily drive the price of kopi luwak up so high. Because of this, some industrious Indonesians eventually decided to make it easier to harvest the excrement of these animals.
In order to do this, they built factory farms for them, where the animals are kept in cages and in some cases, force-fed coffee cherries. There have been many complaints from international concerns, as well as journalistic programs regarding animal cruelty in these coffee farms.
Within the coffee industry, kopi luwak is widely regarded as novelty item. The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) states that there is a "general consensus within the industry. A coffee professional compared the same beans with and without the kopi luwak process using a rigorous coffee cupping evaluation. He concluded: "it was apparent that luwak coffee sold for the story, not superior quality...Using the SCAA cupping scale, the luwak scored two points below the lowest of the other three coffees. It would appear that the luwak processing diminishes good acidity and flavor and adds smoothness to the body, which is what many people seem to note as a positive to the coffee.” Professional coffee tasters were able to distinguish kopi luwak from other coffee samples, but remarked that it tasted "thin". Some critics claim more generally that kopi luwak is simply bad coffee, purchased for novelty rather than taste.
Flavor Comparison Other Kinds of Coffee
Sure, there’s tons of controversy and fanfare, and the coffee is known for being ultra expensive, but how does civet coffee actually taste? It’s only natural to wonder how kopi luwak compares to other gourmet coffees. Is it actually worth more than a thousand dollars a pound?
Most coffee experts say no. In fact, the process that civet coffee goes through, by nature, robs the finished product of most of its acidity. Without acidity, coffee can be very bland, and not entirely complex in flavor. But the civet coffee does supposedly have a bit more body to it – you’ll just have to save your dollars, buy it, and taste for yourself!
Price and availability
Kopi luwak is one of the most expensive coffees in the world, selling for between $220 and $1,100 per kilogram. The specialty Vietnamese weasel coffee, which is made by collecting coffee beans eaten by wild civets, is sold at US$500 per kilogram. Most customers are Asian, especially those originating from Japan, China, and South Korea.
Some specialty coffee shops sell cups of brewed kopi luwak for US$35–80.
Variations
Coffee beans can be "seeded" with the same microbes as in civet gut to produce the same coffee flavor without having to deal with civet excrement.[
The binturong is also sometimes kept captive for production of kopi luwak.
There are reports of a kopi luwak type process occurring naturally with muntjac and birds. Bat coffee is another variation that is in demand. Bats feed on the ripest coffee and fruits and spit out the seeds. These seeds are dried and processed to make coffee with a slight fruity flavor.
The Ethics Behind Kopi Luwak Production
As with many products obtained from animals, as the demand has increased for Kopi Luwak coffee there have been problems ensuring that animals have been completely and properly taken care of, not to mention the humans responsible for collecting the coffee. Also, as anyone who has ever walked the streets of New York can tell you, the more expensive a product is the more likely that there are going to be fakes out on the market.
Keeping brand integrity while also making sure that animals and people are treated fairly has been the goal for our coffee all along.
One of the biggest concerns in the world of Kopi Luwak coffee has been the care of the animals. In certain areas of Asia, particularly in Vietnam, Civet cats have been forced to live miserable lives inside of cages without any access to other animals.
In addition to making sure the civets are living their best life, we also ensure that the farmers and manufacturers are also thriving. That they receive a fair wage and are taken care of is of vital importance. When they are happy and making a good living, they are also inspired to create better quality products and take better care of their animals.
And of course, all beans are one hundred percent Kopi Luwak. Giving the best possible cup of Kopi Luwak coffee is not only our joy but also our passion
The History of Kopi Luwak
As with so many of the products we now know and love, widespread knowledge in the Western World about Kopi Luwak came from shows such as Oprah and Hollywood. However, despite this added star power, Kopi Luwak beans have a long history that dates long before Oprah ever came onto the scene, and before Hollywood was even more than an adobe hut. Oprah and Hollywood are, like so many others, simply the stepping-stones that helped to bring Kopi Luwak from the past and into modernity.
The history of Kopi Luwak began when Indonesia was still called the East Indies. The Dutch came into the East Indies in the early 1600’s and while they were there they were introduced to a new delicacy; coffee.
Just like most of us, the Dutch became quite enamored with this new caffeine-laced drink and began sending it back to Europe via the Dutch East Indies Company. As the demand for coffee in the West began to rise, things began to get more difficult for the Dutch.
In the early 1800’s, war broke out in Indonesia between two classes of people, the Padri and Adat.
The Padri were a group of Muslim leaders who were looking to put West Sumatra in Indonesia under Sharia law.
The Adat were a group of nobility in the area who refused to be under Sharia law and held their ground.
The war lasted thirty-four years and it wasn’t until the Adat asked the Dutch to support their cause against the Padri and Sharia law that it finished.
But as with most wars, this war was not won without first spending a lot of money and producing great unrest. While peace was advantageous enough for the Dutch that fighting seemed worth it, the fighting that it took to achieve such peace was draining on the Dutch’s resources.
Unfortunately for the Dutch, the Padri War was not the only war going on for them in the early 1800’s. Although much shorter lived than the Padri War, the Java War took place directly in the middle of the Padri War. This was an outbreak between the Javanese people of Indonesia and the Dutch settlers themselves. While lasting only five years compared to the thirty-four-year Padri War and ultimately leading to Dutch victory, the Java War was exhausting to the Dutch and put them in a weak position, even after their victory.
Dutch Cultuurstelsel
A Dutch East Indies government policy to allocate rural land for export crops from 1830 to 1870. It is here, in the 1830’s, after fighting two wars and severely depleting their resources that the Dutch needed money and they needed it quickly.
So in an effort to get the most out of the West Indies, the started Cultuurstelsel.
The theory behind it was that in order to produce the biggest amounts of marketable products the Dutch needed to regulate what products were being grown, and where they were being grown. The peasants in the area were forcibly enlisted to grow these plants ‑ and were not allowed to keep back any for themselves!
No one knows who was the first person to realize that the pests who stole coffee cherries from the coffee fields, civet cats, were passing completely usable beans. All that we know is that during the Cultuurstelsel the people of Indonesia began harvesting beans from this most unlikely source.
They would clean the beans, dry them, and then roast them just as before.
The shocking news came when instead of having a poorer quality than before, the beans instead tasted far superior. As with many goods, once the upper classes heard that the poor were able to produce a more flavorful bean than they were able to the beans began to slowly grow in popularity in the region.
From there it wasn’t until the 1990’s when Kopi Luwak made it to modern popularity. In the 90’s Troy Wild brought the beans to the UK from Indonesia. From the UK, Kopi Luwak beans began to grow in popularity in other parts of the world.
In the early 2000’s, Hollywood grabbed hold of it and Kopi Luwak began to make appearances in movies and even on The Oprah Show. Due to these voices, and those of many others, we have seen the worldwide phenomenon of Kopi Luwak resurfacing in today’s modern world.