I kid you not: It was just this week when I used the last of the kopi luwak beans I purchased for an exorbitant price from a sanctuary in Bali and thought to myself, "I need to find more civet [word for animal waste that rhymes with 'shoop'] coffee, but where?"
After the carefully rationed bag I bought for myself during that spring 2012 trip was gone midway through last year, I remembered that I had gifted one to my brother and his wife. They had looked sceptical and uninterested at the time, despite my raving. Sure enough when I travelled back for a visit last autumn, a bit of rummaging turned up the gold-foiled bonanza, which had been shoved unlovingly in the back of one of their kitchen cupboards. I stole it back, plain and simple, and am only confessing my crime now.
But even that bag is gone. And with it every last delicious drop of coffee it produced, which is why the press release sent out today by Icons Coffee Couture, in Dubai's Souk al Bahar, was so welcome to me and could most definitely be for you. Be prepared though. Kopi luwak has earned the title of world's most expensive coffee for a reason. From the press release:
“Kopi Luwak coffee comes from the Indonesian island of Sumatra, an area well-known for its excellent coffee. It is not mass-produced and is sourced under fair conditions with a lot of respect for animals and the environment.
Our Kopi Luwak is carefully selected from the Asian Civet cat, a special Viverridae species, which only eats the fruit pulp of the best and ripest coffee berries. The enzymatic action involved in this unique fermentation process produced the beans for world’s rarest coffee, Kopi Luwak, which is truly exceptional and one-of-a-kind. Indulge yourself with the incredibly fine taste of caramel, jungle mango and a hint of chocolate.”
It really is that good. But be prepared. The price? Dh180 per coffee siphon, which yields two cups. Retail boxes of the coffee, pictured above, will be available in the coming week for Dh279. Icons, I’m on my way!