FOOD FUNDA: Civet Coffee

Sunday 22 July 2012

Civet Coffee

Indonesia's capital Jakarta, the owner of three fashionable cafes, Agus Susanto, sells what he claims is a mix of regular beans and those that have passed through civets. The blend and the cafes are both called "Kopi Luwak" — in English: "Civet Coffee."Our coffee has a strong taste and an even stronger aroma," Susanto said by telephone from his factory in central Java.In Vietnam, now the world's second-largest regular coffee grower, a blend supposedly containing some civet beans is produced by the Trung Nguyen company under the "Weasel Coffee" brand.In the Philippines, the Old Manila Coffee House used to sell a civet brew, but supplies have dwindled over the years, said Ellen Tuason, its finance officer.