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Reviews of the World’s Most Expensive Coffee – Kopi Luwak

Christine — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 17:59:28 +0000

Asian Palm Civet Feces = Kopi Luwak coffee

I have blogged on Kopi Luwak coffee in the past. It is basically coffee that has been digested by the Asian Palm Civet animal, and then excreted. After it has been passed from the animal, the coffee is harvested from the Civet’s feces. Yes, this is coffee that is harvested from poop.

You may be thinking “disgusting”; however, this is the world’s most expensive coffee. It is said to be coffee that is sans any hints of bitterness. This video shows several people trying Kopi Luwak coffee. Most of the reviewers do not find it to be that exciting — which is surprising to me. This coffee costs up to hundreds of dollars per pound.

So here is Tested.com trying out Kopi Luwak coffee and giving their opinions on it. Have you tried Kopi Luwak? If so, leave us a comment letting us know what you thought!

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Kona Coffee

Jennifer — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:32:44 +0000

Kona coffee is one of the most exquisite and expensive coffees available. It is rare and hard to come by which makes it a prime target for rogue companies who sell off-brands as the real thing. Kona coffee is grown on the Big Island, also known as Hawaii. It grows on the slopes of the island where the volcanic soil that is rich in minerals and porous combines with sunny mornings and cloud cover or late afternoon rain to create one of the most sought after coffees in the world.

Kona coffee beans are grown on small farms where the picking and processing are still done manually to keep the beans from being damaged by machinery. The coffee bushes are handpicked several times between the months for August and January. Each coffee bush will produce up to thirty pounds of coffee beans or cherry as the coffee growers call them due their similarity in appearance to a cherry.

100% Private Reserve Kona Coffee beans. This is from an older tree, around 110 years. Photo by Bob.

After being picked the Kona berries are put through a pulper to separate the pulp from the bean. Once this is complete the beans are soaked in a fermenting tank anywhere from twelve to twenty-four hours. After the fermentation process, the beans are allowed to dry.

Once the beans are dried, they are sorted according to whether or not there are one or two beans per cherry. These are type one and type two Kona. There is also a type three Kona bean that is lower grade and cannot be legally labeled as a Kona coffee. However, there are many companies that sell coffee blends that are not Kona and yet they are labeled as Kona without the consumer knowing the difference unless they are connoisseurs.

Coffee distributors who use do this unscrupulous practice often blend a little bit of Kona with a Columbian of Brazilian coffee using only the minimum 10% Kona beans that are required in order to label the coffee as Kona. Hawaii’s law requires that pure Kona coffee carry a label stating that it is 100% Kona coffee. Unfortunately, the Federal government does not have labeling laws concerning Kona coffee.

The practice of selling blends as Kona coffee is not a new practice. In 1996 a coffee distributor was indicted on charges of fraud and money laundering. It was later determined that he had been selling a coffee blend since 1993 under the guise of it being Kona coffee. This only adds to the proof that Kona coffee’s popularity adds to the number of people who will offer a fake in order to cash in on the public demand.

Kona coffee is a delicious yet rare and expensive coffee that demands top dollar in the coffee world. Consumers must be diligent in their research of companies who sell the coffee to insure they are getting true Kona coffee.

-Sharon Chapman

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Coffee Kona

Jennifer — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:27:09 +0000

The Island of Hawaii is renowned for producing one of the most expensive and rare coffees in the world. This coffee known as Kona is grown on only about 800 small coffee farms in Hawaii. There are only about two million pounds distributed every year, which makes it more expensive and hard to come by than other coffees.

The area in which Kona beans are grown is what makes it have a richer flavor than any other coffee. The volcanic soil and afternoon cloud cover create ideal growing situation for coffee beans. These coffee beans are revered around the world.

Unlike other countries where the coffee bush is a native plant, Kona coffee is not a native plant of Hawaii. It was brought to the Island by an Englishman coming back from Brazil. At one point, the coffee prices hit rock bottom and Hawaii’s coffee plantations almost became extinct. Hawaiian coffee farms became smaller and eventually would be only two to five acres. This smaller size allowed the coffee bushes to receive more hands-on care by the owners than larger plantations. The resulting coffee is one of pure delight and rarity.

100% Private Reserve Kona Coffee beans. This is from an older tree, around 110 years. Photo by Bob.

These smaller sized coffee plantations also make it possible for every aspect of the coffee bean growing process to be manual, which means the beans are not bruised by machinery like other coffee plantations around the world. From the picking of the beans to the cleaning and sorting, every step is done by hand. This also plays into the cost of Kona coffee. However, once the coffee lover tries Kona they will no doubt be hooked for life.

Consumers who wish to purchase Kona coffee should go straight to the source and order their Kona from a plantation directly or order it from a distributor who can certify that the coffee is truly Kona. Otherwise, the consumer runs the risk of being sold a blend that has very little Kona coffee in it. There are no Federal laws concerning the labeling of Kona coffee and some distributers have only 10% or less Kona beans in what they are selling as Kona coffee. Hawaii does have laws on the labeling which helps consumers know if the product they are purchasing is true Kona coffee or not.

The high demand for Kona coffee, coupled with the high price makes it tempting for unscrupulous distributors to cash in on. Consumers must be wary of Kona coffee with a price that is too good to be true. Purchase only from true Kona plantations and ask for a certificate of authenticity or other proof that the coffee is truly Kona coffee from the Big Island.

-Sharon Chapman

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Gourmet Coffee

Jennifer — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 15:03:16 +0000

Since the discovery of coffee many years ago, coffee drinkers have delighted in creating flavor combinations by adding enhancements to their coffee. Eventually these flavors became commercialized and marketed as gourmet coffee.

Originally, cream and sugar were the only offerings people used for enhancing the flavor of their coffee. Over time, the use of flavorings was experimented with using vanilla and other home extracts to add to the taste of coffee.

At first, gourmet coffee was simply coffee with flavored creamers or sweeteners to spice it up. Manufacturers of coffee creamers began making a wide variety of flavored creamers and soon coffee could taste like French vanilla, crème Brule or even hazelnut, to name a few. The typical cup of coffee could now be dessert.

Coffee shops caught on to the popularity of these flavored coffees and created their own versions using flavored syrups for even more variety. Ordering a cup of coffee began to sound like ordering from the dessert menu in a fine dining restaurant.

Cappuccino photo by Lea Csontos

Coffee roasters were not oblivious to the popularity of gourmet coffee and began to experiment with ways to flavor the coffee during the roasting process. Flavors were added using infusion methods such as soaking the beans to allow them to absorb the flavor which would then result in a cup of coffee flavored directly by the bean without the need for added creamers or sugars.

Flavored coffee beans began appearing in gourmet coffee shops and grocery stores everywhere. Every possible flavor imaginable was created, from coconut to combinations of chocolate and toffee. These taste explosions were enough to make even the non-coffee drinker like coffee.

Gourmet coffee includes more than flavored coffee. This category also covers exquisite coffee beans that are grown under precise conditions to achieve a better coffee bean.

The roasting process of these beans is also more involved, aiding the creation of a gourmet coffee.

Gourmet coffees typically cost more than the average coffee. Some of the more elite coffee beans are harder to come by which makes their price and status increase even more.

Individuals who consider themselves coffee connoisseurs are divided in their opinion of gourmet coffee. Some believe the addition of flavors ruins the taste of the coffee. Others simply love the variety of coffee tastes they can choose from. When it comes to gourmet beans most agree that some of the higher priced coffee beans are better due to being grown in a particular way. Still, there are those who simply like a strong cup of black coffee and don’t care where the coffee beans come from or how they are grown.

In the world of coffee there is no going back. Coffee drinkers around the world are hooked on having many choices when it comes to their morning java. Whether it is dark and strong or a caramel macchiato over ice, individuals insist on getting their coffee how they want it and gourmet coffee is the answer.

-Sharon Chapman

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