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    $800 Coffee Made From Cat Poo is a Scam

    By | Shine Food – Wed, Nov 2, 2011 4:30 PM EDT

    Let me tell you about this Raja Luwak coffee. It's grown on a plantation in Sumatra -- but that's not the end of the story. An Asian mammal called the civet cat eats the beans and then workers pick out the beans from their droppings. Yup, coffee beans harvested from cat poo. Would you drink coffee made from these beans? Sounds gross, right?

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    Okay, so then what if I told you that these beans sell for as much as $800 for a 2-pound bag? And that fancy people who demand squeaky-clean bathtubs and freshly-laundered sheets every night are totally okay with drinking the cat poo coffee? Does it somehow suddenly sound a wee bit more desirable now?

    Well maybe, maybe not. But I have to admit I was a little intrigued to find out why anyone would be willing to overlook Raja Luwak's origins and pay ridiculous amounts of money for such coffee. Supposedly the cats pick out the tastiest beans, so you're getting an excellent cat-based selection. And then their digestive juices make "subtle" changes to the beans' chemical composition, which results in an exceptionally smooth brew without the slightest hint of bitterness.

    Riiiiiiight. I've got a dog who can sniff out the finest grapes. I dig out the masticated grapes out of his mouth and make an exceptional wine from them, which you really must try. Super-low tannins, you'll love it. Just $400 a bottle, which is really a steal considering all the trouble I go through to deliver this fine product to you.

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    Come on, Raja Luwak coffee aficionados, you love this coffee because it's expensive and exclusive. It's not enough to pay a premium for perfectly good organic, shade-grown, fair-trade coffee. No, you must have the "prestige" brew. Well good morning fancy coffee drinkers, I hope it's really all that. I'm sticking with pre-digested beans myself.

    Would you try coffee made from beans picked out of cat dung?


    Image via anthony_p_c/Flickr


    Written by Adriana Velez for CafeMom's blog, The Stir.

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