Unusual Coffee

Greetings all! 

Did you know that October 1 is International Coffee Day? 

Image from https://ineedcoffee.com/inanimate-objects-comics-48/

Interesting facts about coffee:

• Allegedly, coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia around 850 CE and started spreading around the world in the 15th century.
• Coffee is now grown in more than 70 countries.
• Brazil is the world’s largest coffee producer, followed by Vietnam and Colombia.
• After oil, coffee is the second-most-exported commodity.
• Finland consumes the most coffee on a per-person basis (12 kg/26 lbs), followed by Norway and Iceland.
• United States of America, Germany and Japan lead the volume consumption. 
• The most expensive coffee in the world is Black Ivory Coffee from Thailand priced at $1,500/lb.

And now to the more exotic stuff if you feel adventurous and want to celebrate a special occasion! Animal rights discussion aside, coffee enthusiasts are willing to pay $80 for a cup of poop coffee or spit coffee.

Poop coffee is exactly how it sounds. Animals consume, digest, and excrete coffee beans, which are then collected, cleaned, and then roasted and ground. The famous brews in this category are:

1. Kopi Luwak/Civet coffee is “processed” by indigenous Indonesian cats. I actually have tried this coffee – after mentally blocking the preparation process! – and just remember it to be very strong.
2. Coatis coffee from Peru. Coatis belong to the racoon family.
3. Jacu Bird Coffee from Brazil. Also known as guans, these birds live in the forests of Latin America.
4. Elephant coffee is Black Ivory Coffee from Thailand, which is the most expensive coffee in the world.

If you are looking for a more palatable process, how about spit coffee?

1. Monkey Coffee (aka monkey spit or monkey parchment coffee) – The rhesus monkeys and Formosan rock macaques in India and Taiwan chew coffee beans and spit them out. This coffee is described to be sweeter and complex with notes of vanilla, chocolate, citrus, and nuts. 
2. Bat Coffee (aka bat spit coffee) is produced in Madagascar and Costa Rica. This coffee is supposed to be less acidic.

How adventurous are you? Which coffee will you be willing to try? Drop me a line!

Sources:

• https://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-coffee
• https://elevencoffees.com/top-coffee-producing-countries/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_coffee_production
• https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/coffee-consumption-by-country
• https://luxe.digital/lifestyle/dining/most-expensive-coffees-in-the-world/#Black-Ivory
• https://wealthygorilla.com/most-expensive-coffees/
• https://www.thespruceeats.com/monkey-coffee-recipe-765328
• https://www.mashed.com/1096889/unique-coffee-drinks-around-the-world/
• https://enjoyjava.com/poop-coffee/
• https://www.reuters.com/article/us-madagascar-coffee-idUSKBN1ZQ0V3
• https://www.foodandwine.com/news/bourbon-pointu-coffee-bat-saliva
• https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/08/20/340154271/no-1-most-expensive-coffee-comes-from-elephants-no-2