<p>I had some Kopi Luwak, in Indonesia. I've read a number of reviews. It's been hard to find blind tastings by coffee experts. Basically, it doesn't seem like anything special. If anything, it kind of tastes bad.</p>

<p>Now, there may be more to the story. Indonesians I know have offered two explanations for why I was unimpressed. And these excuses were not mutually exclusive.</p>

<p>One is a lack of certification -- that is, how do you know you were drinking real Kopi Luwak? Hah! Maybe somebody's faking you out!</p>

<p>The other excuse is that, even when it's "real", it might be factory farmed. This excuse is based on the observation (true) that Kopi Luwak used to be produced entirely from excreta by Luwak in the wild, who (according to this story) would eat only the best coffee cherries, often from the best coffee estates. These days, lamentably, most Kopi Luwak is produced by shoveling lots of possibly-mediocre coffee cherries into Luwak pens, then raking up what they crap out. Between (1) the stressed condition of these captive animals, (2) a coffee-cherry-only diet (not very balanced), (3) the lower quality of the coffee they are fed, and perhaps (4) slipshod processing by opportunists who don't really know coffee, Kopi Luwak coffee quality has taken a dive.</p>

<p>Or so /that/ excuse goes.</p>

<p>I was suprised to find that Kopi Luwak in Indonesia is not really dramatically more expensive. Maybe 30% more than anything comparable, when I was there last year. That margin might be narrowing. The cachet of Kopi Luwak being "the world's rarest coffee" apparently become a selling point in Indonesia, but since the barriers to market entry are low (especially since verification is virtually non-existent), Indonesia is probably approaching an oversupply situation.</p>

<p>At best, if you can identify Real Kopi Luwak, there might be something slightly more appealing about it compared to beans from the same estate that were not, erm, "processed" by some wild Luwak "cherry-picking" the best beans. More likely, though, no matter what you try, it will just taste how it tasted to me wherever I went: like something pooped out of some poor animal that was suffering from a serious caffeine addiction.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-05-01T17:30:17.267Z
In 2014, there were stories about a new candidate for "the world's rarest coffee" or at least the most expensive - elephant poop coffee.
Rick G
CC BY-SA 3.0
2015-04-24T11:37:42.750Z
2015-04-24T11:37:42.750Z
Michael Turner
<p>I have never had the opportunity to try Kopi Luwak, and I'd like to know how it tastes:</p>

<ul>
<li>How does its taste differ from more traditionally processed coffee from the same region?</li>
<li>Are there other coffees with similar tasting notes?</li>
</ul>

<p>I am aware that such a question may be considered opinion-based, but using some sort of external reference, or analysis of its traits, it could receive a more objective answer.</p>

<flavor><kopiluwak>
What does Kopi Luwak taste like?
Nicolás
# What does Kopi Luwak taste like?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2015-04-18)

I have never had the opportunity to try Kopi Luwak, and I'd like to know how it tastes:

* How does its taste differ from more traditionally processed coffee from the same region?
* Are there other coffees with similar tasting notes?

I am aware that such a question may be considered opinion-based, but using some sort of external reference, or analysis of its traits, it could receive a more objective answer.

**Tags:** flavor, kopiluwak


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2015-04-24. Score: 10

I had some Kopi Luwak, in Indonesia. I've read a number of reviews. It's been hard to find blind tastings by coffee experts. Basically, it doesn't seem like anything special. If anything, it kind of tastes bad.

Now, there may be more to the story. Indonesians I know have offered two explanations for why I was unimpressed. And these excuses were not mutually exclusive.

One is a lack of certification -- that is, how do you know you were drinking real Kopi Luwak? Hah! Maybe somebody's faking you out!

The other excuse is that, even when it's "real", it might be factory farmed. This excuse is based on the observation (true) that Kopi Luwak used to be produced entirely from excreta by Luwak in the wild, who (according to this story) would eat only the best coffee cherries, often from the best coffee estates. These days, lamentably, most Kopi Luwak is produced by shoveling lots of possibly-mediocre coffee cherries into Luwak pens, then raking up what they crap out. Between (1) the stressed condition of these captive animals, (2) a coffee-cherry-only diet (not very balanced), (3) the lower quality of the coffee they are fed, and perhaps (4) slipshod processing by opportunists who don't really know coffee, Kopi Luwak coffee quality has taken a dive.

Or so /that/ excuse goes.

I was suprised to find that Kopi Luwak in Indonesia is not really dramatically more expensive. Maybe 30% more than anything comparable, when I was there last year. That margin might be narrowing. The cachet of Kopi Luwak being "the world's rarest coffee" apparently become a selling point in Indonesia, but since the barriers to market entry are low (especially since verification is virtually non-existent), Indonesia is probably approaching an oversupply situation.

At best, if you can identify Real Kopi Luwak, there might be something slightly more appealing about it compared to beans from the same estate that were not, erm, "processed" by some wild Luwak "cherry-picking" the best beans. More likely, though, no matter what you try, it will just taste how it tasted to me wherever I went: like something pooped out of some poor animal that was suffering from a serious caffeine addiction.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: In 2014, there were stories about a new candidate for "the world's rarest coffee" or at least the most expensive - elephant poop coffee.  

---

