Bali, Indonesia – An Island of Happiness and Joy!
This week I have been touring through Bali in Indonesia and decided to visit a small coffee farm just 35 miles inland from the Capitol city Denpasar.
Almost everywhere you travel in Bali, various farms or coffee stations offer the Kopi Luwak coffee at quite exaggerated prices such as $ 5.00 per 4 oz shot.
Although I know this coffee trades on a regular basis throughout Japan, Europe and USA, I had never really given it any chance in my coffee lab nor in my trading book.
This was the chance, so I took off to visit the “Bali Pulina” Estate as they offered a guided tour that showed the whole process commonly practiced today to produce, prepare and serve or export the result of the famous and most expensive Kopi Luwak Coffee.
As we arrived, a tour guide was ready to guide me through the small plantation show, the Luwak cages, washing and drying process areas and finally the traditional pan roasting corner just yards from the serving and cupping terrace.
This farm produced Arabica and Robusta coffee in one hectare, only cherry state fruits are harvested; these are served in 250 gram baskets to the caged Civets that have no other food delivered to their diet.
9 Luwaks produce an average 1 kilo per day, a total of 365 kilos per year.
Sometimes, the Cats are served some fruit of green vegetables, nothing more.
As I was served the regular Bali Coffee, a washed Arabica grown at 2000′, followed by the Kopi Luwak coffee, a mix of Arabica and Robusta beans fermented in the stomach of these civets, I struggled to remain technical in the tasting experience.
The result was a win for the regular washed preparation as I found the Kopi Luwak to be noticeably more fermented and “off ” in any acceptable quality score.
Christian Wolthers
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Images by Viviane Wolthers
