A woman who tried the "world's most expensive coffee" left the public horrified after explaining how it is made.
TikTok creator @Lucijawithqs has toured the culture and food of the world in a series of posts to the social media platform, and recently tried what is touted as the world's most expensive coffee. Kopi Luwak gets its price and notoriety from the traditional method of producing it, which Lucija revealed in her viral post.
But the process of creating the coffee, which can be bought from some retailers in the UK for as much as £130.99 per 500g, has disgusted members of the public as they realise how the coffee gets its unique taste.
Balinese's most expensive coffee failed to impress Lucija as she says it "tastes good but nothing extravagant". The process of making it, however, has shocked TikTok users who say they would not drink the coffee after learning of its origins. The TikTok creator hints at how it is made in the opening of her post, petting the Asian palm civet in the shop.
Those animals are an integral part of the process in making the coffee, as Lucija revealed. Grabbing a Kopi Luwak coffee for just $3.14 (£2.35), she asked the barista how the beans are made. He revealed the civet will eat and digest the bean before it is "washed in warm water and then put in the sun maybe for one day, two days, and then roasted".
Kopi Luwak beans are partially digested by the civet which ferments the cherries in the bean, giving it its unique flavour. But Lucija was less than impressed by the taste, saying: "It's a speciality coffee because these animals eat the coffee beans and pick which ones are the best. They eat it, then the fermentation process happens in their stomach and they poop it out." A taste test of the coffee revealed it was not a "fruity" flavour but a "full" and "rich" taste.
Users replying to Lucija's video were horrified and swore off tasting the coffee. One wrote: "I'm Indonesian, but never tried Luwak coffee. I don't think I will." Another wrote: "IS THIS REAL." But others find the unique taste and process of making the beans a delightful treat, with one writing: "My friend from Switzerland is crazy about Luwak coffee, always wants some." Another added: "3 dollars???? Wow that's the cheapest Luwak Kopi bro. Mostluwak is $20 to $100."
