Have you tasted the world’s most expensive coffee- Kopi Luwak?

“Everything gets better with a cup of coffee..or so they said”

A trip to Bali wouldn’t be complete without tasting the world’s costliest, unique and infamous coffee- “Kopi Luwak”. Well if you’ve seen the movie ‘The Bucket List’, then you know what I’m talking about!While we were exploring Ubud, we came across a plantation and thought to check it out. And I can’t thank myself enough for stopping by because this place is just so incredible! Be sure to put this hotspot on your list when in Bali.

The guide escorted us inside the farm and very cheerfully showed us the plantation. We did a brief walk to understand how Luwak coffee is made.

What is Luwak Coffee?

Kopi Luwak is a gourmet Coffee and a delicacy around the world. Kopi means coffee and Luwak is the local name for Indonesian cat.

It’s not Cappuccino but Cat-Poo-Chino! Poop of Luwak (Cat). Yes you read it correct, the most expensive coffee in the world is made by Luwak’s poop! What? Shocked? Haha it’s true and I too was grossed out initially. Luwak is actually an animal, looks like a mix of a cat and a mongoose. It’s definitely not your regular coffee, the cute looking fella Luwak makes the magic happen!

The Luwaks are made to eat coffee berries and the funny part is that the beans will stay undamaged during the digestion process. Interestingly, the Luwak eats only the ripest and finest coffee cherries. And hours down the line it’s excreted. The farmers or coffee harvesters then collect the defecated beans which are further peeled off because they are still in a shell and not touched by the poop. And then the processing takes place which includes cleaning, washing, peeling, roasting, pounding and packaging.

Tea/Coffee Sampling

At the end of the tour, Our hostess, Nitha guided us to a beautiful bench overlooking a pictorial backdrop of lush green rice terraces and palm trees. She got us a big tray with various kinds of teas along with banana chips. And we got to sample fourteen different varieties of refreshing beverages.

It came with mangosteen tea, rosella tea, turmeric spiced tea, lemon tea, lemongrass tea, ginseng tea, cinnamon tea, Bali coffee, mocha coffee, ginseng coffee, vanilla coffee, coconut coffee, ginger tea and Bali coco ginger coffee. Luwak coffee isn’t included in the free samples and one needs to order. Although we were quite apprehensive about drinking or even imagine drinking a beverage that came out of the rear end of a fur ball! But the daring traveller soul in us pushed us to give it a shot and we ordered the coveted cup of Luwak coffee. After smelling the aroma I ventured into the sip!

Oh boy It was amazing! Smooth, sublime, nutty and fruity. We were also given creamer, sugar but Luwak coffee is best enjoyed black. Sipping this novelty beverage in the panoramic jungles was something else! We got one cup for IDR 50,000 (5 USD). It’s relatively cheap in Indonesia, however the same cup can cost you 100 USD in New York, London or other places! And in some parts of the world the prices can go up to $3000 per kilogram.

Why is it so costly?

The rarity of this coffee has made it so expensive. The process involved is quite tedious and unusual unlike normal coffee.

What actually makes the process arduous and time consuming is collecting the animal’s dropping, filtering the best beans, cleaning, roasting, pounding and the quality certification. The beans are exposed to unique fermentation inside the Civets which gives it a unique flavour and this’s what makes it so exotic!

Tea/Coffee Store

The plantation also has a small shop where you can buy various kinds of tea/ coffee concoctions, trinkets and other stuff.

For every coffee fan, it’s a must try, something really exotic and interesting! It’s a novelty and world’s most highly coveted gourmet coffee. You must experience it at least once in your life!

Swings and Cozy nests!

Well if coffee isn’t your thing then how about satiating your cravings for some ultimate photogenic spots?

This place has some magical swings suspended from the trees in the middle of a tropical forest and cute nests overlooking the gorgeous jungles with amazing views of palm trees, rice terraces and coffee plantation. Taking personal relaxation to new heights, you get to admire bird’s eye view of the beautiful surroundings.

I can’t tell you how peaceful, serene and soulful the surroundings are!

Take the lush life to a whole new level by relishing the unique, most expensive coffee in the world, swinging high deep in the jungle or by just admiring the surroundings while relaxing in a nest!

Address: Uma Pakel Agro Tourism, Ubud, Tegallalang, Gianyar, Bali-80561

Have you ever got the chance to sip this coffee? Are you a coffee lover? Would you dare to taste? Have you been to any coffee plantation? Do let me know in the comments below.

I believe in the saying, “When was the last time you did something for the first time?”

Until then

Keep exploring and trying new things!

-Glam Adventuress