It has been described as nutty, chocolatey, earthy and even fishy: a wildly expensive coffee that can sell for more than 100 times the price of regular brews, made from beans eaten and excreted by civet 'cats'. Scientists have long wondered what lies behind civet coffee's unique flavour. A team now says that the digested beans contain high levels of two compounds commonly used as flavouring agents in dairy products ' and these might contribute to the coffee's distinctive taste1. Civet coffee is produced across Asia. Called Kopi Luwak in its origin country of Indonesia, it grabbed international attention after being featured in the 2007 film The Bucket List. Asian palm civets (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus) eat the fruit or cherries of coffee shrubs, and the seeds (commonly called beans) can be picked from their scat. These are then roasted to make coffee with a unique flavour; the resulting beans can cost more than US$1,300 per kilogram, and the coffee up to $75 per cup. These high...
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