Our own spotless coffee beans being brewed in an asian Phin filter
Kopi Luwak beans shown with Vietnamese
Phin filter/brewer (click to enlarge) Detailed Information on Kopi Luwak Coffee

The Reference section is presented as an FAQ for quick reference with links to detail pages that discuss particular subjects in more detail.

Kopi Luwak coffee is surrounded by myths, misconceptions and incorrect factoids reproduced by otherwise reliable news sources. We try to provide the best reference guide available here:

How rare is Kopi Luwak?

Despite being quoted in many articles, the "less than 500 kilos a year" statistic is rather exaggerated. Kopi Luwak is still an extremely small percentage of the world coffee market (billions of pounds of coffee are consumed per year), but the actual volume of Kopi Luwak produced is closer to 10,000 kilos per year.

The current peak of interest in the USA is partly due to the popular movie "The Bucket List", in which eccentric billionaire Jack Nicholas drinks Kopi Luwak daily, and a number of recent news stories in popular media such as the New York Times. Even so, the increase in consumption in the USA has probably only created a 20% increase in production so far.

Genuine Kopi Luwak volume is limited at the source by the dwindling population of the Palm Civet. The poor little fellows can only eat so much coffee! However, while the civet population has decreased in Vietnam (see below), it has increased in the Philippines and Indonesia.

Luckily, the current interest in Kopi Luwak coffee has helped halt the demise of the Palm Civet, and conservation and captive breeding is now being practiced on an increased level. Subspecies of Palm Civet are now being preserved by passionate effort from groups such as Bantai in the Philippines.

Where is Civet Coffee produced?

The three main subspecies of civet involved in civet coffee production have historically been centered in Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines. There are distinct differences between the civet populations, but their behavior in regards to coffee consumption is similar. However, Indonesia and the Philippines have almost 100% of the world's remaining Palm Civet population, so these are better source countries. In Vietnam, coffee farmers have typically been at odds with the civet population for decades because the country relies on large-scale production and there is very little small-scale "hunter-gathering" activity. But in Indonesia and the Philippines, remote regions are populated by people who typically work with the natural bounty of the region to create income and sustenance, so it is more natural to preserve the civet population and see it as a renewable resource.

In Vietnam, the civets have apparently been hunted to extinction. We have continually tried for years to find a genuine source of civet coffee but have not been able to do so. There are small producers, but no organized production that we can find. Unfortunately, the civet is also a culinary delicacy itself and has been hunted for decades in Vietnam. So why is "Weasel" and "Fox" coffee so prevalent there? The Vietnamese have made a long practice of trying to simulate civet coffee, as the civet population dwindles. They often present these simulations as the real thing in coffee shops and markets, unfortunately.

There is one coffee company (Trung Nguyen Coffee Co., the largest in Vietnam), whom we represent on our other websites, that did actually hire a team of German coffee scientists to study the enzyme process at work and create an enzyme soak process that truly does approximate the effect of civet digestion on coffee beans. The resultant product is called Legendee, and it is pricey at about $32 a pound retail, but much less expensive than the genuine article. The Legendee is such an excellent coffee in its own right that many people feel it is an adequate substitute, and even if not so, is a top world-class coffee that rightly commands the usual $5 a cup in a coffee shop.

We do not recommend that you purchase purported civet coffees in Vietnam if you want to experience real civet coffee. They are often a high quality Arabica/Robusta/Excelsa mix that has been soaked in the green bean stage with extracts of cocoa, hazelnut and vanilla, and concentrated coffee extract. They are actually quite tasty, but you would not be experiencing true civet coffee.

Has Kopi Luwak ever been scientifically studied? What do the studies say? Is Kopi Luwak really different from other coffee?

The University of Guelph in Ontario and the University of Florida have performed a number of studies on coffee taste. The results show that the number of flavor elements accessible in Kopi Luwak coffee is about 30% greater than regular coffee. They have also confirmed reduction in the coffee bitters, and other physical changes.

Other coffee science team studies have focused on the hygiene of civet coffee. The surprising results show lower contamination counts than other coffees tested and an absence of e-coli and other harmful bacteria. The conclusion is generally that the processing of civet coffee is done manually on an extremely careful level by farmers who view the beans as "black gold" and take great pride in the processing and sale of the product. For them it is often a livelihood in a location where no other means of support is available, and that committment is shown in the care with which they treat the coffee.

How do I know which civet coffee to choose? There are different regions and different bean types.

If you know that you have a preference for a particular growing region and/or coffee species, like Arabica from Sumatra, then this is a good place to start. If not, then read the descriptions of the flavor profiles and choose the most appealing coffee.

There's no need to fret when choosing, though. All our civet coffees, no matter the region or species, share the wonderful taste characteristics of civet coffee. We have never had a customer love one type but hate another. It's hard to go "wrong" because they are all very fine.

Often people worry, "This coffee is $280 a pound! What if I choose wrong?" But a cup of Kopi Luwak brewed in your home costs only about $2.25 per cup. Compared to the price of buying from a coffeeshop, Kopi Luwak no longer seems like such an extravagance - in fact, if having delicious Kopi Luwak on hand keeps you from visiting the coffeeshop, you might even save money! So don't panic; just enjoy.

Explain the difference between wild gathered civet coffee and farmed civet coffee.

Civets are nocturnal. Farmed civets sleep in cages during the day, and at night they roam in courtyards or a plantation. Humanely farmed civets, such as the ones living on our Sumatran producer's civet farm, quickly become tame and can be handled. Advantages of farmed civet coffee include:

Wild-gathered Kopi Luwak is found in forests and mountains by gatherers. The civets eat whatever coffee they choose. Since there's usually only one or two types of coffee around, it's still possible to say with some certainty that the kopi luwak is, for example, a Robusta. Advantages of wild-gathered Kopi Luwak include:

Is civet coffee good for the environment?

Preserving the Palm Civet from otherwise inevitable extinction is a noble cause. Also, gathering civet coffee is a renewable resource and profitable enterprise for many indigenous mountain peoples who have no other viable means of maintaining a decent standard of living in the modern world. In the case of our Bantai Civet Coffee, the founder of the company was a former Peace Corp volunteer; the company has rescued hundreds of civets, helped stabilize and support a nature preserve, and provided a means for hundreds of local villagers to support themselves in a far better manner than they could previously, in a region where government aid and services have been virtually non-existent for decades now.

Farm civet populations are helpful for bolstering the civet population by their breeding programs, protecting the civets from hunting and predation, and preserving the genetic pool. Civet coffee is great for the environment and great for accomplishing good things for local peoples of remote mountainous areas.

How should I brew my civet coffee?

Methods of brewing that use full submersion are always a superior means of brewing good coffee. The French Press, Aeropress, or Chemex, or even the Melitta one-cup filter are good ways to get totally even brewing of the coffee. If you have only a drip machine, you will still enjoy an exceptional coffee experience, but we recommend considering adding an inexpensive French Press (under $20) to your kitchen in order to get the very best from your coffee.

The tiny Vietnamese Phin filter brewer is a great low-tech way to get a fabulous cup of coffee, and they cost under $5.

How long will my civet coffee stay fresh?

This question is often posed to us by people who want to save their civet coffee for a special day or celebration. We have had customers buy civet coffee in June to give as a Christmas gift! Please consider that although whole bean coffee can stay fresh for months, when you are talking about the world's rarest and finest coffees, it just doesn't make sense to buy them 4 months in advance. You want to get the freshest possible enjoyment.

We have also had customers buy the coffee and figure that they will hold it until some special occasion or when company comes over... and it sits on a special shelf for months while they wait for the right moment. Please... this is not a bottle of vintage champagne that gets better with age! Brew it and enjoy it.

Civet coffee is actually more permeable than regular coffee. That is an effect of the enzymes. The fabulous aroma and taste are more fleeting than with most other coffees. We place a best-by date of a few weeks or months on our civet coffee, even when it is sealed in reverse vacuum cans or other high-tech method. It's not that the coffee will go stale in 8 weeks. We want people to realize that it is a fresh product and should be enjoyed as soon as possible.

We ourselves enjoy civet coffee "odds and ends" that we stash around (there are always "leftover" portions after measuring, etc.) up to a year after the coffee was roasted and still found it exceptional. But it isn't the same experience of consuming the coffee as early as possible.

How should I store my coffee?

No coffee should ever be stored in a refrigerator or freezer. Coffee is one of the most effective odor-absorbers and can even do so through multiple layers of otherwise impermeable foil and plastic. Tests have shown that a tenperature of -10 degrees Celsius are needed to slow the effect of oxidation on coffee, and the home refrigerator freezer does not get cold enough to have any beneficial effect. Plus, changing the temperature drastically as you take it out and put it back will cause some condensation inside the bag. Moisture and oxygen are the two enemies of fresh coffee!

The longest storage for coffee is achieved by keeping coffee in the original bag, squeezing out as much air as possible, and wrapping it with a rubber band or tape and keeping it out of the sun and moist areas. It's easy to get maximum life from your coffee!

If you want to store your coffee in a canister, store it in the bag, or in a new bag, with air squeezed out, inside the canister. If you pour the coffee into the canister, every single bean is then exposed to air, plus the air that is trapped in the "headspace" at the top of the canister.

Can I use my civet coffee as espresso?

You might think this is a blasphemous question, but it isn't. Surprisingly, Kopi Luwak makes fabulous espresso without fault or bitterness. We like to grind it on the first espresso setting (not as fine as the second setting) and pull a longo-style 4-ounce cup from our espresso machine, from approximately a rounded tablespoon of coffee. Fabulous!

Differences between producers of Kopi Luwak

Unfortunately, it's true that not all producers of kopi luwak are reliable. Because it's a valuable coffee, some producers blend kopi luwak coffee with regular coffee to make it cheaper. Many more simply inflate their prices to take advantage of the kopi luwak mystique.

We only sell kopi luwak from producers we know and trust. We have carefully vetted all of our coffees and maintain a personal relationship with the producers. We inspect every batch of kopi luwak we receive for freshness, excellent roast, aroma, proper packaging, and blend of beans.

Look for third party verification of the company's existence, such as media stories written from real live interviews. Here is a good example: Bote Central Media Page

How prevalent is fake Kopi Luwak?

We estimate that 90% of all the coffee sold as Kopi Luwak is not pure and genuine. Keep in mind that much of this is sold in coffee houses and through non-established businesses that provide no traceability. On the web, there are a number of sellers that we personally have checked on and found that they are not who they claim to be, are not located where they claim to be, and are obviously not selling true Kopi Luwak.

How do I know whether I can trust a seller?

Genuine producers have verifiable credentials such as:

  1. They having a thriving business that is not dependent on Kopi Luwak sales alone. Any website that sells only Kopi Luwak is suspect, because the margins on real Kopi Luwak are not actually very high. It is a painstakingly labor-intensive product, and reliable retailers pay quite a high wholesale cost to support the production of the real thing. Futhermore, these larger websites have too much to lose to risk their reputation.
  2. They have been in business for a few years or longer. Untrustworthy dealers are usually fly-by-night businesses, whereas companies that have been in business under the same name for a long time have worked hard to build a reputation and will stand by their product because their good name is an investment.
  3. They are occasionally out of stock. Any website that always has everything in stock is suspect. The production of Kopi Luwak has always been restricted by obvious natural limits, and reliable websites will be seen continually posting "Out of Stock" notices on various offerings. It is impossible to make the demand match the supply consistently.

Certificates of authenticity have no value. Every website that sells non-genuine Kopi Luwak offers a certificate of authenticity. Unfortunately, there is no third-party certifier of Kopi Luwak authenticity. In coffee marketing, there is always a great deal of misrepresentation. Take a look at your local home goods department store and you will see "Genuine" Kona coffee for $6. Read carefully and you will discover it is a blend of regular coffee and probably 5% of beans that were grown somewhere in Hawaii, who knows where.

In essence, you simply have to make a decision on how reliable a retailer is, how well documented the source is, and whether or not there is other documentation on the web showing the supplier. For instance, our two Philippine suppliers have over 100 major media stories written about their operations and how they benefit their local environment and the gatherers they employ. They have been operating in the public eye in the Philippines for many years.

The actual proof of authenticity is found by examining the coffee itself, of course. But if you are new to Kopi Luwak, you will not recognize the signs. The unique aroma and taste profile cannot be duplicated, but you need experience to recognize it.

About Heirloom Coffee (that's us!)

Heirloom Coffee, which runs Vietnamese Coffee Online, Trung Nguyen Online, and Highlands Coffee Online, is a family business that operates out of Medford, Massachusetts. We began when Len, the proprietor, decided he was ready for a change of careers and he wanted to pursue his true love: Coffee!

He searched for months for the best coffee - not just the best-tasting, but also a coffee that benefited the local citizens and the environment, a coffee he could feel good about selling. Since that time (over 5 years ago) we have added many new coffees and teas, but always remained true to Len's original vision.

We take great pride in our excellent record of happy customers. Our shipping is prompt and accurate, usually leaving the warehouse on the next business day. We stand behind our coffees completely and guarantee our kopi luwak is 100% pure, authentic and delicious civet coffee.


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