This Is The Most Expensive Coffee In The World
The world's most expensive coffee is something they'll never sell at Starbucks. Sure, a Venti latte with a few espresso shots or some extra flavoring might run you a few bucks, but a cup of kopi luwak could cost up to $80, according to National Geographic. Amazingly enough, that's not the real shocker. Wait until you find out where this super-exclusive coffee comes from — out of a cat's butt! Ok, not really a cat, it's actually produced by a slightly more exotic creature called a civet, but the butt part is all true.
Kopi luwak coffee is made from coffee cherries that have been partially digested by a civet and must then be extracted from its poop. No wonder kopi luwak costs so much. Can you imagine the kind of salary needed to keep a dedicated workforce of poop pluckers? As to why anyone on earth would drink this stuff, much less a pay premium price for it, it does have the rarity and gross-out novelty factor going for it, as well as an "elusive musky smoothness" said to be imparted by the civet's anal glands (via The Guardian). So yes, if you're a fan of anal musk (not to be confused with Elon Musk), kopi luwak is definitely a must-try.
Here's why you might want to avoid this coffee
Even if neither the price nor the scatological origins deter you, there is one good reason you should avoid most kopi luwak like, well, something the cat pooped out. Although many coffee sellers perpetuate the myth that this coffee is made from the droppings of wild civets skilled in selecting only the very best coffee cherries for their partially digesting pleasure, the lucrative kopi luwak trade has actually led to a rise in civet-farming. Not only are farm-raised civets often kept in cramped, cruel conditions, but they're also fed just any old coffee cherries — so there's really nothing particularly special about their caffeine-laden feces.
If your life just won't be complete without sampling a steaming mug of manure, though, you may be glad to know that it is still possible to source sustainable, wild-harvested kopi luwak from companies such as Ross Kopi. Your cuppa joe will still be coming from a dark and dirty place, but at least your conscience can be clean as you drink it.