The Forbidden Coffee. Kopi Luwak. Don’t Call it Crappuccino. Funnel Mill Rare Coffee & Tea. Santa Monica, CA.

vacuumbrew
Flame On!

I promise I won’t make any idiotic, ass-inine poo-poo jokes in this article about civet cat crap coffee, better known as kopi luwak. Oopsie-poopsie, I already broke my promise! Poops! I did it again!

You can’t blame me. I mean, c’mon, I recently ingested coffee that was made from beans that came out of a civet cat’s ass. In case you missed that I’ll say it again — I drank coffee made from beans that a civet cat shat. Plus, I’m really immature. Plus, it’s just really fun to crack ca-ca jokes about this coffee all day long. Hey, I have earned this right (if you can call it that). I drank kopi luwak and all I got was this souvenir mug!

souvenirmug
Definitely Not Available at Starbucks.

As far as shitty coffee is concerned, I’ve drunk loads of it in my day. I’ve gulped down my fair share of instant coffee with powder creamer and sugar substitute in a Styrofoam cup. Everything about that cup of joe was fake including the drinker — me. I was living in Hollywood at the time and at the height of my shallowness. Those were the daze.

However, some of this shitty coffee I drank out of economic necessity because I was broke. I drank the coffee at my mechanic’s shop because—that’s right—it was free. I wasn’t even there for an oil change. Used 10W40 could’ve been gurgling in that coffee pot for all I knew but I wouldn’t have cared. I had absolutely no standards for my morning mug other than the price tag, that is, no price. And as the old saying goes: Beggars can’t be Venti Caramel Frappuccino drinkers.

But that was then and this is now. Beggars still can’t be fancy coffee drinkers, but if you’re an exotic food writer and don’t mind shitty coffee like me, you might be offered a $65 cup of kopi luwak for free.

What is kopi luwak? It’s the ultimate shitty coffee and the most expensive one to boot. Kopi luwak is a variety of coffee bean that literally is excrement from an Indonesian civet that the locals call a “luwak”. Indonesians call coffee “kopi”. Coffee from this animal is called “kopi luwak”. Simple as shit, right?

Just because I have no standards when it comes to coffee doesn’t mean that the little luwak kitty has none. Quite the opposite, the luwak is a fussy connoisseur of the coffee berry. It only chows down on the sweetest coffee berries it can find, and that sweetness, my friends, is passed on to the end user. I shit you not...but the civet cat will.

What else makes this coffee special beyond the sweet-ass beans is the special “processing” by the “manufacturer” with a unique fermentation process in the animal’s GI tract since the beans can't really be digested, kinda like corn kernals for people sometimes.

Weirdly and nicely, my kopi luwak was paired with a small dish of pan-fried and salted peanuts. Peanuts? Dude, where're the donuts? But, you know, peanuts were surprisingly effective in bringing out the sweet side of the kopi. Salty and sweet. Yin and yang. I'm starting to get how the genius flows up in this coffee hizzy. Still, I was sniffing around for a maple bar donut. How 'bout just a donut hole?

As you can imagine, this sort of coffee is extremely rare and therefore ass-tronomically priced—it will lighten your wallet by about $65 per cup or $600 per pound.

There are soooo many questions that went through my head as I sipped on this caffeinated oddity, like: If coffee is considered a form of laxative, then what is kopi luwak considered? Redundant? Or, who was the first person to decide that this beverage was suitable for human consumption? And, how did this inspired decision come about? Was it a “happy” accident? Did his coffee bean fall into its feces like a foul Reese's Peanut Butter Cup fumble? And, finally, am I really going to drink this crap? Well, of course I am, but how’s it going to taste?

Honestly, it was the best cup of coffee I’ve ever had. Like a mad scientist behind the coffee counter, J.C. Ho, owner and proprietor of Funnel Mill Rare Coffee and Tea, skillfully and precisely brewed this cup of kopi luwak making it rich and dynamic with sweet, bold and earthy tones. No ass aftertaste whatsoever. I even drank this cup of kopi black—like a real man. No cream. No sugar. Black as the hole it came from and I never take my coffee that way. It was extra smooth and quite delicious with a buzz so pure it seemed illicit. Now, I wouldn’t pay $65 a cup for it but I wouldn’t pay $150 a bottle for Dom PĂ©rignon either. And I’d consider both of these beverages very good shit. I’m not a broke ass anymore but I guess I’m still a cheap ass.

Check out the video and the next time you’re at a Starbucks, ask for a tall kopi luwak and watch your barista lose his lattĂ©. Word to the turd.

Funnel Mill Rare Coffee and Tea
930 Broadway, Suite A
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Ph: 310.597.4395
Funnel Mill website


Kopi Luwak Coffee from eric alba on Vimeo.

Comments

Juliet said…
I can tell you had fun writing that. :-p
It looks like there is a science to brewing the stuff.
I'll stick to my Mr. Brown. 75 cents a can works way better for me. That, and I'm addicted to the stuff.
By the way, I am making my blog private, so if you want to keep reading, let me know what e-mail to send the invitation to.
Anonymous said…
After reading this, I'm pooped!
Anonymous said…
Hahahahahahahahahahaha that was THE funniest post ever! I love latrine humor. We talk about doodie at home all the time. While eating. You may be immature Eddie, but like my favorite comedian said: "you're not a grown-up, you're just a tall kid, holding a can of beer", or in your case, a cup of shit mocha.

Love the fact it was served with peanuts. The most amazing taste combinations are often the most unlikely!
Bill said…
That was a hilariass piece! Keep it up.
SteamyKitchen said…
"word to the turd"

haha - love it.

I think you should end each video/radio with that saying. So much better than "Seacrest. Out."
Unknown said…
::jealous::

Nice reference to the venerable Marquis de Sade with your description of black coffee.
DocChuck said…
My girlfriend chiff0nade would love that . . . for obvious reasons.
elmomonster said…
Those looking for a funnier food post than this one are shit out of luck!
Eddie Lin said…
juliet,

yeah, i had a good time talking shit, so to speak. mr. brown is your favorite coffee. poop is brown. haha. i told you i'm immature!


gustavo,

you're pooped! i had to drink the stuff!


jennie,

thanks for the compliment! the reality is YOU have a great sense of humor! to correct you a little, i'm actually a tall kid holding a gin & tonic. nice to hear from you.


bill,

thanks, man.


steamy kitchen,

word to bean curd. glad you stopped by. heard you were in LA not long ago.


kyle/thebookpolice,

don't hate me because i drank crappy coffee. who's marquis de sade? just joking. thanks.


big bear,

nice crown.


elmo,

you're too kind. by the way, you are the shit in the OC!
Ed said…
If you think "kopi luwak" was weird, I actually had "sate lubak" made especially for me during my first trip to Bali (year ago, mind you) - I ate the creature itself!! It was nice, to tell the truth - sort of like a combination of beef AND chicken. And there was a spicy soup made out of its bones on the side.
Anonymous said…
there are a lot fake luwak coffee now days..
so be carefull dont let yourself to be a victim.

we only sell the original, best and natural civet luwak coffee.

Our coffee come from natural civet not from pet civet in the cage.
real kopi luwak said…
Hi,
We supply best wild kopi Luwak coffee bean single origin frrom
Indonesia. Wild and pure 100% wild Luwak from single origin.
Luwak Coffee are carefully cleaned, natural sun dried, quality
controlled, preserve the best Luwak beans. graded almost zero
defect bean by international quality standard.
The retail price is around $45-50 HKD per cup
Contact us to prove you for real of Luwak coffee:
Alan Yeung
thesuavecoffee@gmail.com
Arianna said…
Look at you, Mr. Fancy food blogger, drinking $65/cup coffee like your shit don't stink. Well let me just tell you - I smell what you're steepin' in...

(funniest post ev-ar, by-the-way. read this crap 5 times!)
Unknown said…
Please be aware that drinking this coffee is the beverage equivalent of eating veal. Because only a few hundred pounds of this coffee are produced Ina year, the majority of the rest of it comes from other sources, including chemical and even human excrement! It is impossible for ANY company to know that they have received the real thing. In addition, the small amount of the real thing is borne of small, frightened, malnourished and abused animals who are force-fed the beans in 3rd world countries. D the research yourselves and you'll see. In addition, many, many coffee experts have tested this coffee and compared it to Folgers or other lesser coffees. This is a novelty at best. I myself would never do business with a company like this that sells low quality goods under a false pretense. B the way... A civit is NOT a cat. Nor is it in the same family. Not much expertise here,
Eddie Lin said…
Larissa A,

Thanks for your informative comment. It appears that the high price of this kopi luwak coffee has resulted in illicit trade and practices.

Also, I know that a civet is not a cat but that's the name by which these creatures are known. It's simply a name. There are many other animals that are given names which are scientifically inaccurate. Therefore your pithy assessment of my expertise is in itself not very informed.