Coffee culture is deeply ingrained in Balinese life. Everywhere you look, signs beckon you to coffee tours and kopi luwak, the famed local coffee made from partially digested coffee cherries. I used to dismiss it as a tourist trap, but after spending considerable time in Bali, my curiosity finally won. I decided to delve into the world of these unique coffee plantations and uncover the reality of what many playfully call “Cat Poo Coffee.”
The heart of Balinese coffee plantations lies with the luwak, also known as the palm civet. This nocturnal, cat-like creature possesses a discerning palate, selecting only the ripest, most perfect coffee berries. Interestingly, the civet’s digestive system can’t process the coffee beans themselves (the “stone” within the berry). Instead, it excretes them, effectively leaving behind a curated selection of beans.
By nature’s design, the civet streamlines part of the coffee production process. It essentially replaces the initial steps of manually picking berries, skinning them, and initiating fermentation. Furthermore, coffee derived from these partially digested cherries is believed to have a smoother, less bitter taste, a result attributed to enzymes present in the civet’s stomach.
This unique process has propelled “civet coffee,” or “cat poo coffee” as it’s often humorously referred to, into a luxury commodity, commanding prices of up to $50 per cup globally. However, the surge in demand several years ago led to unethical practices. Unscrupulous farmers began trapping wild civets and confining them to cages, force-feeding them coffee berries to ensure a constant supply of beans, compromising both animal welfare and potentially the quality of the “cat poo coffee” itself.
Fortunately, not all producers subscribe to these cruel methods. Eddie Sudana, owner of the Satu Satu cafe in Canggu, is a staunch advocate for ethical sourcing. His coffee beans originate from his parents’ six-acre plantation in Plaga, a village nestled an hour and a half north of Canggu, where Sudana spent his childhood. The region’s climate and volcanic soil provide an ideal environment for cultivating exceptional coffee.
One Sunday morning, Sudana and I arrived at the plantation, where we were warmly greeted by his mother. She soon returned with steaming cups of their Arabica coffee and a platter of fresh bananas, a testament to Balinese hospitality.
The Sudana family has nurtured their plantation for three decades, taking pride in producing cage-free, wild kopi luwak – a truly ethical “cat poo coffee”.
“It’s cheating,” Sudana asserts, expressing his disapproval of caged kopi luwak production. “I tell my parents, ‘Don’t do it from the cage.’”
His parents and their dedicated staff collect the luwak droppings – the source of “cat poo coffee” beans – early each morning. They meticulously wash the droppings before spreading them on large trays to dry under the sun for up to two weeks. (Surprisingly, there’s no unpleasant odor during this process). Once dried, Sudana sends the precious beans to Denpasar for roasting.
The harvest season for luwak coffee, or “cat poo coffee,” spans from June to September, yielding an average of 13 tonnes. The family distributes their beans to three local cafes, including Sudana’s own, and also fulfills international orders to a coffee supplier in Dubai through their website.
To illustrate the stark contrast between ethical and unethical “cat poo coffee” production, Sudana took me to visit two other plantations. The first was a distressing sight: small, filthy cages crammed with civets in a dark, confined space. Peering into one, I could barely discern a small, lethargic animal. The second plantation was marginally better, featuring larger, open-air cages with small shelters for the animals. However, it was still a grim scenario. Civets were isolated from each other, their diet restricted solely to coffee berries.
In their natural habitat, wild civets supplement their coffee berry consumption with a diverse diet of fruits like jackfruit and mango. Confining them to a sole diet of coffee berries not only raises ethical concerns but also compromises the quality of the beans, ultimately impacting the “cat poo coffee” they produce.
Currently, a reliable certification system for kopi luwak or “cat poo coffee” remains absent. Therefore, consumers are often left in the dark about the origins of their beans, unsure whether they come from ethical plantations like the Sudanas’ or cruel battery farms. Regrettably, the latter is increasingly becoming the more probable source in today’s market.
Later that week, I visited Satu Satu to finally taste Sudana’s ethically sourced luwak coffee, or “cat poo coffee”. Cafe culture thrives in Bali, largely influenced by neighboring Australia. Trendy Western-style cafes serving flat whites coexist with traditional warungs, local eateries offering full meals at a fraction of the price of a single coffee. At Sudana’s cafe, a cup of kopi luwak, or “cat poo coffee,” is priced at around £2.
While traditionally served black, Satu Satu caters to tourist preferences by offering a luwak flat white on the menu. Opting for the black version to truly appreciate the nuances of this unusual brew, I found it possessed an intense, tangy flavor profile, quite distinct from the delightful Arabica we had enjoyed at the plantation. Admitting it wasn’t entirely to my personal taste, I passed my cup to a friend to finish, pondering whether the appeal of kopi luwak, or “cat poo coffee,” might be more about status and novelty than pure flavor appreciation.
Yet, considering its appeal to the discerning palate of the civet, perhaps there’s more to “cat poo coffee” than meets the eye, or rather, the taste buds.
