Ok, so I managed to track down a speciality coffee shop selling these amazing coffee beans. If you do not know what the big fuss is all about, please read the following intro thanks to Wikipedia:
Kopi luwak (Indonesian pronunciation: [ˈkopi ˈlu.aʔ]), or civet coffee, is one of the world's most expensive and low-production varieties of coffee. It is made from the beans of coffee berries which have been eaten by the Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) and other related civets, then passed through its digestive tract.[1] A civet eats the berries for their fleshy pulp. In its stomach, proteolytic enzymes seep into the beans, making shorter peptides and more free amino acids. Passing through a civet's intestines the beans are then defecated, keeping their shape. After gathering, thorough washing, sun drying, light roasting and brewing, these beans yield an aromatic coffee with much less bitterness.[citation needed] This coffee is widely noted as the most expensive coffee in the world with prices reaching $160 per pound.[2]
Kopi luwak is produced mainly on the islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali and Sulawesi in the Indonesian Archipelago. It is also produced in the Philippines (where the product is called motit coffee in the Cordillera, kape alamid in Tagalog areas) and also produced in East Timor (where it is called kafé-laku). Weasel coffee is a loose English translation of its Vietnamese name cà phê Chồn, where popular, chemically simulated versions are also produced. However, Vietnam has 2 farms with 300 wild civets in Dak Lak. The farmers collect the coffee seeds and produce only 300 kg of authentic Vietnamese chon coffee. The civets live in the wild and are fed beef. The processed civet beans are imported to the UK to the farmers' sole UK supplier.
I had one cup of the magic bean, and the verdict: I thought it was a very good cup of coffee. But, had I not known what I was drinking, I would have thought it a regular good espresso, nothing more. I guess I'm no connoisseur of fine coffee as I would have thought.
Again, no bucket list item is complete without the necessary photographic evidence:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28874851@N02/7202284128/in/photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28874851@N02/7202283944/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28874851@N02/7202283816/in/photostream/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/28874851@N02/7202283628/in/photostream/
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