What is it?
I want to start this section by making very clear that NONE of the photos of the tame Luwaks you see on this website were taken at our plantation. The images you see here are of orphaned Luwaks we saved from pet shop cages in Bali NOT in Sumatra.
Luwak is the Indonesian name for the Civet Cat. Also known as the Asian Palm Civet, the Common Palm Civet or (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). It’s a native to the highlands of Java and Sumatra in Indonesia and a relative of the Indian mongoose - famous for its lightening fast reflexes and ability to kill cobras and other snakes
Pronounced SIHV iht, the civet is a furry mammal resembling a long (13-38 inches; 33-97centimetres), slender cat – with a more pointed snout, a fluffier tail, and shorter legs. This fluffy, muscular tail is sometimes as long as the rest of the body. Civets use their tail to grasp branches and to steady themselves while climbing trees. Civets also live in Africa and by nature, nocturnal, the Luwak spend their nights rampaging through the local coffee plantations. As they scurry up the trees, back and forth along the fruit bearing branches, they inspect each berry, meticulously. They only choose to eat the berries that are perfectly ripened, with just the right amount of water content and acidity in the parchment.
Lucky for the Civets, the Dutch decided to grow coffee in its backyard – and the civet cats took an instant liking to eating ripe coffee cherries.
Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee.
Kopi Luwak literally means coffee from the civet cat.
"Who are the greatest coffee connoisseurs in the world”
Coffee is consumed in almost every country in the world and the international market is second only to oil in the amount of currency traded. So the question, "Who are the greatest coffee connoisseurs in the world?" is a good one.
According to coffee growers in Indonesia, the answer would be "The Luwak of Sumatra and Java." Boutique coffee drinkers around the world are starting to agree.
The civet cat is an extraordinarily fussy eater. It will gorge itself on coffee cherries – but it will only eat the ripest, reddest, sweetest most perfect cherries – which it picks before eating with its acute sense of smell.
Typically, a civet will typically eat only one or two coffee cherries from a tree and leave the rest untouched.
This ability to differentiate perfect from average is partially the reason Kopi Luwak is so prized above that coffee picked by hand by farm workers. However, The best doesn't come cheap – prices for authentic, wild Luwak Coffee range are approximately $US1,200 per kg!
Coffee Harvest , Luwak Style
To some degree Kopi Luwak's exquisite taste is a result of precise picking of only the perfect berries off the Arabica coffee plant, at exactly the right stage of their maturity.
The other reason is the unique processing those berries go through: the luwaks digestive tract! But wait there is more! lots more.
Now before you find yourself vowing never, ever to drink coffee processed like this…let us explain.
When it comes to harvesting, we humans can only use our eyes to select a ripened fruit that an expert would determine to be just right for high-grade, premium quality Arabica coffee. There are important contributing factors inside the berry, as well, which humans simply can not detect. Human taste can, to some degree, test the acidity, but those who actually harvest coffee berries do not taste each and every one. The luwak, armed with his ultra-sensitive smell, gets it right every time. Basically, coffee picking humans are no match against the expertise of the Luwak.
Once the Luwak has ingested the ripe berries, a "100% Natural" process begins.
The intestinal enzymes and juices of the Luwak are a perfect mix to digest the flesh of the cherry, but not digest the coffee bean itself. Instead, the enzymes penetrate the husk just enough to remove any bitterness from the bean – leaving an almost perfectly processed 100% natural coffee bean.
So, what makes Coffee Luwak so special?
We believe we produce the finest, rarest, most natural and unblemished Kopi Luwak in the world.
Every bean of Kopi Luwak collected on our estate is from wild jungle civet cats.
Our plantation is surrounded by thousands of acres of untouched Sumatran rainforest with civet cats roaming free.
What my partners and I have learnt about the civet cat and the environment they feel comfortable in we have learnt through a passionate interest. We have learnt to create a civet cat garden by leaving room on our plantation for native fruit and berry trees so that the luwaks diet is conducive to creating unique flavours in our Kopi Luwak.
We are growers and nurture a very high grade Arabica plantation. We have been in no rush to release our Kopi Luwak to consumers rather we have been studying Luwak, their skat and habitat for the past 8 half years on Mandailing Estate, our own plantation. Our most important roll is to work respectfully within the natural environment of Mandailing and to maintain the natural jungle.
From our studies we have learnt that there is a formula that contributes enormously to final result, the cupping of a true wild Kopi Luwak.
