7 ms·

What on earth..

pault 13y ago
It's actually quite good. Imagine coffee without the bitterness or acidity. The taste is somewhere between coffee and unsweetened cocoa.
- lucisferre 13y ago
  A solidly brewed quality coffee can produce the same effects and should have minimal bitterness or acidity. The technique and beans are what matter. I'm pretty skeptical about the pooping.
  - throwaway9848 13y ago
    Agreed. I think that that most people that would like Civet poop coffee would find this good: buy a Hario, prepare one cup at ~1.5 times average strength, toss it, and brew a second cup from the previously extracted grinds.
  - pault 13y ago
    A double-blind taste test would be very interesting, but in my experience the kopi luwak is noticeably less bitter and acidic than the least bitter and acidic solidly brewed quality coffee I've had :) It's worth a try if you've never had it, at least.
    - fennecfoxen 13y ago
      It sounds like the original format, where you let the wild critters themselves choose the coffee berries instead of feeding them in cages, is likely to have produced a superior product.
  - peterwwillis 13y ago
    No, you're 100% right, the claims are bullshit. Less proteins in the coffee bean = less flavor. http://sprudge.com/say-no-to-kopi-luwak.html http://sprudge.com/say-no-to-kopi-luwak.html
    - pault 13y ago
      I'm definitely open to the possibility that the effect is purely psychological. Not unlike the wine experts that were fooled by white wine with red food coloring.
      - jrockway 13y ago
        What were the qualifications of these "wine experts"? I read the original paper and the word "expert" is used only three times in the entire paper, and long after they talk about the subjects.
        lucisferre 13y ago
        This was the article if I recall (http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/23/wine-tasting-junk-science-analysis http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/23/wine-tas...). And it doesn't actually prove experts can't tell the good from the bad in black and white terms, but simply that given the same wines they may rate them differently each time.
- taway2012 13y ago
  You should compared it to cold-brewed coffee and report back. :)
  - pault 13y ago
    I've tried them all! I lived in Seattle for 20 years and was only able to survive the winters by spending at least 4 hours a day in cafes. :)
    - lostlogin 13y ago
      I'd assumed that (US) The Killing was making up the weather - the feeling of depression that show carried was impressive.
- thomasmeeks 13y ago
  How to get coffee without bitterness or acidity on the cheap! "Drip" coffee: Buy good coffee (stumptown, PT's, tonx, among others) whole bean. Try to finish the beans within ~3-4 weeks of the roast date. Grind it with a cheap $12-$15 whirly grinder from target. Make sure to use the ground coffee within ~15 minutes. Put it in an aeropress or a french press, follow brewing directions. Usually 2-4 minutes for a french press, less for an aeropress. If using an aeropress, add hot water to your coffee. Huzzah! You are on your way to delicious coffee. Adjust amount of coffee, brew time, and water temperature until you get it just right. Each bean & roast is different, and they will often adjust slightly seasonally. If the coffee is sour or weak, grind finer, use more coffee, or a longer brew time. If it is bitter or acidic, grind courser, use less coffee, or a shorter brew time. Espresso: Same as above, but use an aeropress & don't add water. It can be a challenge to get an amazing shot out of an aeropress, I will admit. When you are hooked: Spend money on a good espresso machine & grinder, go nuts. I have not prepared Civet coffee, it may very well be /easier/ to attain that slightly sweet brew with Civet coffee. But given the downsides it is certainly not worth doing so. Buy two bags of coffee, plan on practicing on the first bag, you'll have a system down pat in no time.
  - nandemo 13y ago
    Am I missing something or you're just describing the regular way to make coffee? The result will be somewhat bitter and acidic, varying according to the beans you use (assuming the brewing procedure is fixed). It's not like bitterness and acidity are generally considered bad attributes for coffee anyway. It's just that people like different degrees of it.
    - thomasmeeks 13y ago
      The general point is that fresh coffee, from an awesome roaster, prepared with some extra love & care does not taste bitter to me or the people I've made it for. Thought I'd toss out enough to get started for those interested. It sounds like you've gone down that same path, and if so, then I just have to assume we experience or describe flavors differently.

What on earth..

pault 13y ago

It's actually quite good. Imagine coffee without the bitterness or acidity. The taste is somewhere between coffee and unsweetened cocoa.

lucisferre 13y ago
A solidly brewed quality coffee can produce the same effects and should have minimal bitterness or acidity. The technique and beans are what matter. I'm pretty skeptical about the pooping.
- throwaway9848 13y ago
  Agreed. I think that that most people that would like Civet poop coffee would find this good: buy a Hario, prepare one cup at ~1.5 times average strength, toss it, and brew a second cup from the previously extracted grinds.
- pault 13y ago
  A double-blind taste test would be very interesting, but in my experience the kopi luwak is noticeably less bitter and acidic than the least bitter and acidic solidly brewed quality coffee I've had :) It's worth a try if you've never had it, at least.
  - fennecfoxen 13y ago
    It sounds like the original format, where you let the wild critters themselves choose the coffee berries instead of feeding them in cages, is likely to have produced a superior product.
- peterwwillis 13y ago
  No, you're 100% right, the claims are bullshit. Less proteins in the coffee bean = less flavor. http://sprudge.com/say-no-to-kopi-luwak.html http://sprudge.com/say-no-to-kopi-luwak.html
  - pault 13y ago
    I'm definitely open to the possibility that the effect is purely psychological. Not unlike the wine experts that were fooled by white wine with red food coloring.
    - jrockway 13y ago
      What were the qualifications of these "wine experts"? I read the original paper and the word "expert" is used only three times in the entire paper, and long after they talk about the subjects.
      - lucisferre 13y ago
        This was the article if I recall (http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/23/wine-tasting-junk-science-analysis http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/23/wine-tas...). And it doesn't actually prove experts can't tell the good from the bad in black and white terms, but simply that given the same wines they may rate them differently each time.
taway2012 13y ago
You should compared it to cold-brewed coffee and report back. :)
- pault 13y ago
  I've tried them all! I lived in Seattle for 20 years and was only able to survive the winters by spending at least 4 hours a day in cafes. :)
  - lostlogin 13y ago
    I'd assumed that (US) The Killing was making up the weather - the feeling of depression that show carried was impressive.
thomasmeeks 13y ago
How to get coffee without bitterness or acidity on the cheap! "Drip" coffee: Buy good coffee (stumptown, PT's, tonx, among others) whole bean. Try to finish the beans within ~3-4 weeks of the roast date. Grind it with a cheap $12-$15 whirly grinder from target. Make sure to use the ground coffee within ~15 minutes. Put it in an aeropress or a french press, follow brewing directions. Usually 2-4 minutes for a french press, less for an aeropress. If using an aeropress, add hot water to your coffee. Huzzah! You are on your way to delicious coffee. Adjust amount of coffee, brew time, and water temperature until you get it just right. Each bean & roast is different, and they will often adjust slightly seasonally. If the coffee is sour or weak, grind finer, use more coffee, or a longer brew time. If it is bitter or acidic, grind courser, use less coffee, or a shorter brew time. Espresso: Same as above, but use an aeropress & don't add water. It can be a challenge to get an amazing shot out of an aeropress, I will admit. When you are hooked: Spend money on a good espresso machine & grinder, go nuts. I have not prepared Civet coffee, it may very well be /easier/ to attain that slightly sweet brew with Civet coffee. But given the downsides it is certainly not worth doing so. Buy two bags of coffee, plan on practicing on the first bag, you'll have a system down pat in no time.
- nandemo 13y ago
  Am I missing something or you're just describing the regular way to make coffee? The result will be somewhat bitter and acidic, varying according to the beans you use (assuming the brewing procedure is fixed). It's not like bitterness and acidity are generally considered bad attributes for coffee anyway. It's just that people like different degrees of it.
  - thomasmeeks 13y ago
    The general point is that fresh coffee, from an awesome roaster, prepared with some extra love & care does not taste bitter to me or the people I've made it for. Thought I'd toss out enough to get started for those interested. It sounds like you've gone down that same path, and if so, then I just have to assume we experience or describe flavors differently.