Kopi Luwak: How an Article Accidentally Inspired a Cruel Industry

The History of Kopi Luwak

When Tony Wild browsed the March issue of National Geographic in 1981, he would come across a brief mention of something that would later take the coffee world by storm, forever altering his life and legacy. The paragraph read,

"'The luak, that's a small catlike animal, gorges after dark on the most ripe, the best of our crop. It digests the fruit and expels the beans, which our farm people collect, wash, and roast, A real delicacy.

Something about the natural fermentation that occurs in the luak's stomach seems to make a difference. For Javanese, this is the best of all coffees - our Kopi luak.'" (Starbird, 1981, p. 395, National Geographic)

What the National Geographic article describes is a process was born in the 1700s when the Dutch colonists forbade the local Javanese coffee farmers from consuming their own product. The collection and roasting of coffee beans through the luak, or civet droppings was a way for the Javanese locals to circumvent the strict and unfair rules imposed on them by the Dutch colonists, and at the time it was completely harmless to the civets.

In 1991, Wild worked as a coffee director at Taylors of Harrogate, a UK-based coffee and tea distributor. Remembering the National Geographic article from 10 years prior, he decided to import a single kilogram of Kopi Luwak. At the time he simply wanted to try it as a novelty, and while he did not intend to sell it, he did reach out to a local newspaper and radio station in Yorkshire. Wild figured they might find this odd and somewhat off-putting coffee interesting, and he was absolutely right!

Kopi Luwak's Stardom

Kopi Luwak ended up being a hot topic, whose popularity would continue to snowball over the years. Kopi Luwak's stardom was solidified by features in both a 2003 episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show and the 2007 film The Bucket List starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. As Western interest in this strange "poop coffee" reached a fever pitch, global demand for Kopi Luwak grew. And as global demand for Kopi Luwak grew, so did the ethical concerns surrounding its production.

Many people were willing to spend a lot of money to get their hands on this rare and unique roast, earning it the title of "The World's Most Expensive Coffee." Kopi Luwak was an absolute cash cow for its producers, but it quickly became apparent that the practice of collecting coffee beans from the droppings of wild civets was unsustainable for business. This meant that coffee producers had to quickly find a way to increase their supply.

The Industrialization of Kopi Luwak

Kopi Luwak producers began keeping captured civets in cramped, unsanitary cages where they were forced to consume an exclusive diet of coffee cherries. This was a far cry from their comfortable natural habitat and the diverse diet they were used to in the wild. This practice was rightfully criticized by individuals and organizations alike, who argued that it was a form of animal cruelty and exploitation.

Among the most outspoken of these critics was Tony Wild himself, the man credited with introducing Kopi Luwak to the Western world. Wild was devastated to learn that his unique import had resulted in widespread animal cruelty, and in 2013 he set out to right some of the wrongs in the industry through a successful Change.org petition and campaign, aptly named "Cut the Crap".

Even National Geographic, the publication whose 1981 article inspired Wild to import Kopi Luwak in the first place, published an article in 2016 highlighting the ethical concerns surrounding this coffee.

Can Kopi Luwak be Ethical?

Some Kopi Luwak producers claim that their product is "ethically-sourced", using only wild civet droppings. While it is technically possible to produce this "cruelty-free" version of Kopi Luwak, the authenticity can and should be called into question for a number of reasons:

• Due to the industrialization of Kopi Luwak production, there are fewer civet cats in the wild available to produce Kopi Luwak. Producing Kopi Luwak this way at a commercial level is nearly impossible.
• Because wild Kopi Luwak is so rare, it is very likely that "ethical" Kopi Luwak brands are at the very least supplemented by industrial Kopi Luwak production, and therefore are still contributing to the needless suffering of civets.
• Many retailers who are told that their product is "ethically-sourced" do not personally oversee the production of Kopi Luwak. And with no certification, they have no way of verifying if it is truly "ethical".

Despite the concerns with animal cruelty, another issue with Kopi Luwak is potential for fraud. With the high sticker price of civet coffee, it's not surprising that coffee producers may lie and say that their coffee is genuine Kopi Luwak when it is not, and very few brands that claim to be Kopi Luwak are tested for authenticity. While fraud in this case may be good for the civets, it is certainly not good for your bank account!

Is Kopi Luwak Even Good?

The short answer is no.

According to coffee expert James Hoffmann, most people who try Kopi Luwak report that it doesn't taste good or unique.

When Hoffmann himself tried some coffee that was allegedly Kopi Luwak, he described it as "low acidity...earthy, and wild...and not particularly delicious." Overall, his impression was that it was not very different from a number of other low-quality coffees he had tried.

It's safe to say that Kopi Luwak is mediocre at best and certainly not worth the hefty price tag!

Are There Alternatives to Kopi Luwak?

There is a Vietnam-based coffee company that developed a coffee which they claim closely mimics the taste of Kopi Luwak without the involvement of civets. But even though it is free of animal cruelty, it is still quite pricey!

And if you don't want to spend a lot of money on imitation civet coffee, you can simply look for a coffee with a similar flavor profile to Kopi Luwak. Anything with tasting notes described as "earthy" and "low acidity" would be most similar.

Among Purrcolate's coffee selections, we recommend trying Las Gatas Bonitas if you want a flavor profile that is somewhat similar to Kopi Luwak. And if what the coffee tasting experts say about Kopi Luwak is true, then this coffee will taste way better! Las Gatas Bonitas is not only free of animal cruelty, it actually helps animals in need. It makes for a delicious cup of coffee and a clear conscience!