Bali, located at the east of Java is one of the most beautiful place to be in Indonesia. Here is also where the most expensive coffee - Civet coffee are being produced.
What is Civet Coffee?
Wikipedia:-
Civet Coffee refers to the beans of coffee berries once they have been eaten and excreted by the Asian Palm Civet. Coffee cherries are eaten by a civet for their fruit pulp. After spending about a day and a half in the civet's digestive tract the beans are then defecated in clumps, having kept their shape and still covered with some of the fleshy berry's inner layers.
Despite being in contact with faeces and pathogenic organisms, the beans contain negligible amounts of the enteric (pathogenic) organisms associated with feces. Moreover, the "cherry" or endocarp surrounding the bean is not completely digested by the luwak, and after being collected, the farmer performs thorough washing and removes the endocarp.
Yours truly had the opportunity to try Civet Coffee since I was in Bali for a week of work-holiday trip with a few friends. Can't miss out on that opportunity right?
On our way back from Tirta Empul (Temple of the Holy Water), my driver/tour guide took us to one of the Civet coffee production village. Hidden along the small roads is a small tiny village covered with coco trees and various plants that are part of the coffee / tea production.
Each visitor will be given 7 small short glasses of drinks that they produce for tasting.
Bali Coffee: Strong and smooth.
Hot Cocoa: Nothing special. Tasted like mild milo.
Ginger Coffee: This combination just doesn't work. Coffee is coffee, ginger is ginger. Both tasted like a car crash.
Ginseng Coffee: This is another combination that I dislike. The ginger has covered the original taste of the coffee.
Ginger Tea: I love this even though it's a bit too sweet for my liking. The taste of ginger in this tea is strong and perfectly good for those who have wind in their stomach. Level of sweetness can be adjusted based on your liking.
Lemon Tea: Tasted just like the normal lemon tea.
Roselle Tea: Too sour for my liking. I just think that fruitty tea that are sour doesn't work for my taste bud at all.
Civet coffee is not part of the coffee/tea tasting, it has to be purchased separately. A small cup of civet coffee (almost similar to the size of an espresso shot) like the one below cost me about RM 15.
The texture of the coffee was smooth but aroma and taste is not as strong as Bali Coffee. I am not sure how many Civet coffee lovers out there, to me, I find that there is nothing much to shout about except for the price. Hey, at least I've tried the most expensive coffee in the world and I know how it taste like.
