The creme-de-la-creme of Coffee

The seductive aroma twists and twirls around your nostrils playing games with your senses...and your taste buds, a slave to this strong caffeine drink,find it irresistible and beckoning.
But mine are not and so, try however hard I may, and trust me I’ve tried hard, I just can't get myself to like the bitter taste of the drink relished by so many. So why am I writing about my this particular bete noire??

'coz this isn’t about just any ordinary coffee, I’m about to introduce u to the King of the Beans, the Ultimate Coffee, the world's most expensive coffee - Kopi Luwak!!

It’s intense flavour is devoid of any bitterness, but this isn’t the sole reason for its insane pricing. Demand-supply inequality that affects every commodity spares no king either. With just 400 to 450 kgs produced every year, the price remains as high as Rs 2000 for a cup!

So what makes this coffee so special?!? If I were to tell you the reason before you had already sold your taste buds to this out-of-the-world experience, you would probably refuse to even take a sip!! Believe it or not, these beans are sifted out of the Asian Palm Civet excreta! The beans pass through undigested;then why the hassle!?! It is believed that the enzymes in the digestive tract of the Civets break down certain proteins thereby enhancing its flavour and eliminating the bitterness.

The other side of the coin: researchers say that there is nothing special about the famous Kopi Luwak, but that it is just a gimmick to sell the ludicrously priced beans. They call it the "placebo effect" wherein a more expensive item is enjoyed better by the consumer!

Take your pick between these irreconcilable differences of opinion, but as a true coffee lover,you might want to travel to Japan or America(primary Kopi Luwak producing countries) to get your shot of Kopi Luwak. But hurry,for very few customers get this privileged opportunity!

As for me, I have acquiesced to the inability of my taste buds to ever appreciate the taste of coffee!!

photo courtesy: BT