It’s not just ANY coffee…
IT’S WEASEL PUKE COFFEE! YAY!
There’s a little animal in Vietnam which has magical properties. Locally, it’s called a weasel (though technically, it’s a type of civet, but let’s call it a weasel like the locals) and it sure likes to eat the fruit of the coffee plant. But the seeds don’t sit well in its tummy, so it vomits them up. And that’s where the fun comes in – for local coffee folks gather up the beans and lightly roast them. The stomach acids seem to wear away the bitter taste of the coffee beans, and the resulting coffee is delicious and smooth.
From Wikipoidland we find this related tidbit:
Kopi Luwak (pronounced [ˈkopi ˈluwak]) or Civet coffee is coffee made from coffee berries which have been eaten by and passed through the digestive tract of the Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). The civets eat the berries, but the beans inside pass through their system undigested. This process takes place on the islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi in the Indonesian Archipelago, in the Philippines (where the product is called Kape Alamid) and in East Timor (locally called kafé-laku). Vietnam has a similar type of coffee, called weasel coffee, which is made from coffee berries which have been regurgitated by local weasels. In actuality the “weasel” is just the local version of the Asian Palm Civet.
Note that Wikistuff contradicts itself here, and that the coffee beans are fully processed by the “weasel.”
It’s a steal at only $24.99 per pound 57 grams. (That’s only $198.81/lb., but one sip keeps you wired for a week.)
[Weasel Puke Coffee description found here where it may be purchased; found via RGS. More info here.]
Tacky Raccoons 
The Vietnamese version sounds like coughee!
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I am drinking coffee as I type, I hope it’s not from Vietnam, Gag, Gag, Gag…… Barrrffffffff
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I’m still trying to figger out the significance of the icons on the bottom of the bag. From right to left, we have poison ivy, a scorpion, a cobra, and, um, a Colonel Mustard gamepiece?
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Vietnam has fantastic coffee and the ritual of straining it through the little tin cup and saucer at the table is very rewarding. I got hooked on it while I was there but have to admit it may also have been because of the addition of the condensed milk.
Weasel coffee is another thing like pigeon soup, fertilised duck eggs, roast guinea pig, birds saliva soup and snake wine – all freely available in Asia (though bird saliva soup is prohibitively expensive). We’re just not used to eating/drinking those things as they have that eewww factor
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Bird spit soup????
This blog just keeps deteriorating my appetite
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I used to work at Starbucks and as much as they’re denigrated for being Yuppie status symbols, the company refused to carry this stuff, as it was… in the words of the coffee tasters…CRAP.
Apparently processing through the digestive system makes it a dryer-tasting coffee with some spice notes, but they put it in the same category as Kona; priced for factors other than quality.
FYI nutmeg and mace used to be harvested in much the same way. The Spice Islands in Indonesia are home to a dove about the size of a chicken, with a hinged jaw like a snake. They swallow the nutmeg fruit whole, pass it through their system, and the locals pick up the pits that pass through, making nutmeg and mace out of them.
Bon appetit!
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Oh man. Tony’s blog just threw up. AGAIN. Swim towards the light, Tony! Swim towards the light!
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All of you have provided powerful arguments for cutting back on food consumption 🙂
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I appreciate the last entry. It sure was extremely cool.
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Merlin– I disagree. It was completely awesome.
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