Questions surround the quality of Civet coffee as demand for the rare beans continues to increase.

Exceptionally high prices and an ever increasing demand may have contributed to a fall in the quality of exports of the unusual and extremely rare civet coffee beans that come from South East Asia as fake and low-grade beans flood the market.

Civet coffee is truly extraordinary. It is made unique by the fact that is procured from the droppings of the cat-like Civet mammal. The creatures are known to wander the floor of coffee plantations eating only the best coffee cherries. The indigestible beans are then fermented in the animal’s stomach before being excreted. The fermentation by stomach acids and enzymes creates a blend of coffee that is smooth, chocolaty and renowned for having no bitter aftertaste.

Civet coffee is the most expensive blend in the world, selling at around $500 a sack, with South Korea and Japan being the largest consumers of the product. In recent years however, the bean has increased its reputation in Europe and North America as coffee connoisseurs have been introduced to the drink.

The result has been an increase in harvests of the product and the setting up of Civet “minifarms” where caged animals are fed lower quality coffee cherries than those they would be eating in the wild. It has even forced many to reconsider exactly what makes the blend of coffee at all; whether it is the quality of cherries picked by the wild animals, or the fermentation that occurs in their stomachs.

Photo: Praveen Prakash