BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth

Subject: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: Mr Red
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 06:40 AM

New Scientist Oct 16th (page 45) - article about Kopi Luwak coffee.
The story that Kopi Luwak beans have passed through the digestive tract of a cat is proven beyond doubt. Massimo Macone is a food scinetist from Guelf University and after being asked to analyse some very expensive coffee beans he became intrigued. They showed all the tell-tale signs of enzyme action and differed from ordinary beans from the same area of Sumatra. After searching in Ethiopia (home of the coffee bean) he found faeces from the African civet (civetticti civetta) closely related to the palm civet of Sumatra) and dug out the beans. They exhibited the same characteristics and, one assumes, taste when made into coffee. Less bitter and "thin". Maybe it doesn't keep you awake - just the job for cap-napping (my joke).

The article showed no signs of spoof - but a lot of irony with pictures with captions like "good to the last dropping" "that takes some guts" and the title - "Bean there, Dung that"

For the squeemish - take heart - the rarity value and price attracts forgeries - about 50% of the product is manufactured in fermentation vats. But I still ain't a-gonna risk it................. even if it involves a 'Catter

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 07:22 AM

It never occurred to me that it mught be an "urban myth" - apart from the bit about it being "a cat" involved, since a "civet cat" is no more a "cat" than a "prairie dog" is a dog. I can't imagine why anybody should be squeamish about it, if the result is good coffee, but then some people are funny about that kind of thing. (Here is some more about civet cats, and their coffee-making qualities.

What I want is a proper cup of coffee
Made from the droppings of a proper civet cat.
House moggies ain't no good,
It's got to be a civet cat, that best be understood,
Stray alley cats or fat pally cats,
They're no good you see,
If I can't get the dropping of a proper coffee civet cat,
I'll have a cup of tea.

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: Mr Red
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 09:54 AM

LOL

but I think it needs more verses...........

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: Rapparee
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 11:15 AM

Dunno what the problem is. At least one San Francisco coffee shop has been selling it for some time -- they even have their own animals, I understand.

Do the peopl who have to retrieve the beans from the...you-know-what...get extra pay, do you think. Hazardous duty or something?

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: frogprince
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 11:22 AM

May-an, Leroy, this hyah coffee is some good shit...

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: Clinton Hammond
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 11:25 AM

Put one more down for the "It never occurred to me that it mught be an urban myth" group

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: Rapparee
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 11:39 AM

Ya know, pooped out coffee beans probably look a lot like the deer scat up in the hills. I wonder...them city folks'll believe most anything...suppose I gathered up them deer beans and told them city folks that they made good coffee...I could ask, like, USD100.00 a pound...I could get rich and afford stuff...hmmmmmmm....

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: NH Dave
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 12:04 PM

Why not? Alaskans collect moose droppings, seal them in a coat of plastic spray, and sell them as earrings and other jewelry.

    Dave

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 12:09 PM

Wow they must have big mice in Alaska.

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 01:47 PM

Waiter! waiter! This coffee tastes like mud.

Yes sir, it was only ground this morning.

Boom boom

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 02:00 PM

Khatt is dropping in for a cup of coffee by the sound of it. ;~)
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 02:49 PM

Well, I had never heard of the stuff. Now, I am enlightened.

Ya reckon there's a market for partially digested whole-kernel corn that's been passed through a middle-aged, bald-headed Democrat?

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 13 Nov 04 - 03:37 PM

Well marketing is a bit of a maize, but if you could arrange the corn in a regular pattern we might try for a 'Native American Hershey Bar'
Giok

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: Mr Red
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 10:57 AM

I caught a bit on telly about a Weasel Coffee today.

Vietnamese Weasels apparently eat the berries and regurgitate them. The results are collected. So they say!

If you are sick of coffee - this is definitely one for you.

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: GUEST,MMario
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 11:15 AM

well - they don't regurgitate them. They go through the digestive tract in the normal direction. And the "Weasel" bit is at least a little closer biologically then "cat"

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 03:32 PM

Methinks they have been watching the Captain Cook episode of Blackadder Goes Forth.......

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: robomatic
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 03:41 PM

Passing the beans through the guts of an animal is not going to deter a coffee 'hound'. One of my favorite sets of books is the Patrick O'Brian "Aubrey - Maturin" series. In one of the episodes the main characters, ardent coffee drinkers, are bemused by the off-taste of the brew. Killock, the Captain's servant informs them that rats had got into the beans so he'd had to brew with rat turds. The men comment on this while drinking up every drop.

I've always felt this was so extreme, it must have happened.

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 03:58 PM

Put it this way, if you are on a ship with bad water and only a little spirits, probably cold and wet too, would you dump it out?

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 09:38 PM

My understanding of the best Ethiopian coffee is that it comes from the highlands of Harar. Now I'm beginning to wonder if it's "processed" by the famed Harar hyenas.

The French poet Rimbaut was also a resident of Harar back in the 19th century, where he decided he could make more money selling guns that he could with poetry, and that the khat was fantastic, also probably processed by hyenas.

Charley Noble

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: beardedbruce
Date: 13 Apr 05 - 09:45 PM

" where he decided he could make more money selling guns that he could with poetry"

One can make more money selling ANYTHING than one can with poetry...

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: RangerSteve
Date: 14 Apr 05 - 08:51 AM

Dave Barry commented on Kopi Luwak in one of his columns a while back. I forget what the stuff costs exactly, but it was a 3 figure number for a pound. A cup cost 24 dollars. He tried it, but I forget what he thought of it. There's some consolation in knowing that at that price, your local coffee shop isn't going to slip it to you without your knowing about it.

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: Linda Kelly
Date: 14 Apr 05 - 02:56 PM

Stephen Fry gave Prince Charles weasel coffee for his wedding present-straight from the horses mouth

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 14 Apr 05 - 09:45 PM

Wrong animal. Wrong end.

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: GUEST,Scaramouche
Date: 15 Apr 05 - 03:28 AM

No, Harar beans are too valuable to go through an animal. Besides, YOU try to get a hyena to comply with anything.

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: Davetnova
Date: 15 Apr 05 - 03:42 AM

I've never heard of this, scat coffee{:| Has anyone tried to make their own?

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 15 Apr 05 - 08:22 AM

Is this anything like Scat Singing?

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: GUEST,Mingulay at work
Date: 15 Apr 05 - 11:24 AM

More like scat 'flinging' I would have thought. Be making it from bird droppings next, calling it "Nestcafe".

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: Mr Red
Date: 16 Apr 05 - 11:04 AM

No the original article in the New Scientist referred to Mountain Civet. Kopi Luwak was Borneo. With a surrogate tested for in Ethiopia.

This weasel coffee was quoted as Vietnamese and if it is not truly regurgitated I can only assume that they didn't want the public thinking "shit" - at £15 a serving they are definitely after the novelty dollar, not the idle rich.

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: John Hardly
Date: 16 Apr 05 - 11:29 AM

They were forced to stop making the weasels regurgitate. It was way to difficult to stick a finger down their tiny little throats and still come away with the finger, much less the coffee.

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: GUEST,Charley Noble
Date: 16 Apr 05 - 02:39 PM

Somene, I betcha, is going to come up (or out) with some verses for this thread.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble, alive and well in NYC where there are even more bizarre drinks to sample

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: Mr Red
Date: 17 Apr 05 - 12:17 PM

like waiter service in real "English" pubs - yea sure.

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 18 Apr 05 - 12:21 PM

Someone needs to write a song called :

Cat Crap Coffee
to the tune of..
Cat Scratch Fever

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: Davetnova
Date: 18 Apr 05 - 01:18 PM

Yes, dear.

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: Dave'sWife
Date: 18 Apr 05 - 01:56 PM

If you want Davetnova, who is not my husband, I'll abandon my Screen name and choose another. My husband used to have a Mudcat name with Dave in the title.. he hasn't signed on in, oh, a year? On sites he is on, I usually go by MrsDave or Dave'sWife. I can see the possible benefits of changing my name but then, I'd probably never remember my password or screen name!

I know you didn't suggest it, but ... I could always become NotDavetNova'sWife. (Do they let us have that many letters?)

let me know

And, while you are at it, come up with those Cat Crap Coffee lyrics!

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 18 May 05 - 07:55 PM

refresh - somehow inappropriate though for 'cat crap lyrics', I think...

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: GUEST,Mr Red
Date: 19 May 05 - 10:13 AM

I would write a lyric but I can't quite see the angle yet

How Does Cat Scratch Fever go?

Subject: RE: BS: Kopi Luwak No longer an urban myth
From: GUEST
Date: 19 May 05 - 11:35 AM

see Song Challenge! #57 for some lyrics