Kopi Luwak and the love of Ginseng

.

Bali Plantation

Mr Ketuk, our guide drives over to a tropical plantation where bright boards advertising Kopi Luwak jostle the vanilla shrubs. We are handed pamphlets and invited to taste the different beverages brewed from the coffee, ginseng , ginger and vanilla plants grown there. Prajit finds a bored  Indonesian civet cat (Luwak) in a small cage, a "specimen" proudly displayed  to curious tourists by the farmhelps. The lethargic animal , well fed on ripe coffee berries  doesn't appear amused on being woken up from his afternoon siesta and passively poses for a photogragh. The click of the camera is, but a mundane affair!

A bored Luwak

Kopi Luwak , believed to be the most expensive coffee in the world is not a favourite among the locals who relish Bali Kopi. Our guide warns us of the flavour. The luwak or civet cats found in Indonesia feed on ripe coffee berries and excrete the beans. Trained farm helps collect the coffee beans from the poop!  Unlike the normal coffee bean, luwak beans are not sun-dried, but are roasted directly after collection.

Prajit tasting Kopi Luwak

Like a Kopi Luwak aficionado puts it," It's all in the guts".Connoisseurs love the unique and inimitable flavour imparted to the coffee beans as they pass down through the animal's intestines. Prajit has the guts to taste Luwak Coffee and finds the concoction "smooth" and "distinct"! We are encouraged by our hosts to taste every beverage on the menu: Ginseng Kopi, Ginger Tea, Vanilla ,Kopi Luwak, Milk Tea and Bali Kopi.I fall hopelessly in love with Ginseng Coffee and proceed to order more than three cups! Perfectly invigorating, the smell of freshly roasted coffee beans permeates the air and I am high on caffeine.

What a choice !

Roasting the coffee beans

Coffee beans