Luwak Coffee, Tegallalang Terraced Rice Paddies, Bali

Kopi Luwak is coffee that includes part-digested coffee cherries eaten and then defecated by the Asian palm civet (also known as a mongoose).  Fermentation occurs as the cherries pass through the animal’s intestines, and after being defecated with other fecal matter, they are collected.  Producers argue coffee beans are improved by this process.  Part of their reasoning is based upon the belief that the animals are selecting only the best cherries (almost like Juan Valdez).  Because of the high cost of production, it is one of the world’s most expensive coffees and can sell for as much as 350 USD per pound.  It is produced mainly on the islands of Sumatra, Java, Bali, and Sulawesi.  I did have the coffee here and I wish I could say it’s worth the price.  However, the whole experience is quite interesting and if you are ever in this area it’s worth the time for a quick visit.

Beginning of the coffee encounter. These are some of the plants producing the fruit.
Along the path to roasting.  This is a fairly small operation and appears to be utilizing the same techniques as were used 200 years ago.
This sign says it all… The literal translation is Bali “Cat shit” coffee.
Aggressive mongoose.  Definitely not to be accidentally cornered, or confused with a cute and friendly feline.
Docile mongoose.  Although not in a cage, I still would not pet this one.  But look at that cute tongue.  I almost couldn’t resist, but I did.
These are the “Shitty beans.”  You can see the clusters.  If you didn’t know otherwise, you might think the clusters were granola bars.  And then there’s the job of separating the beans from the “S*@T.
The gardens below the processing area.
The Roaster, seen here with a curious visitor.  She even had most of her teeth.  The visitor, not the Roaster.  Also note the ergonomically designed tree stumps they are both seated on.  The Roaster enjoys hours and hours of pain free use with this stump.  If OSHA existed here the coffee would definitely cost more.

Moving on I travelled to the locally famous rice terraces.  Tegallalang is one of the more scenic rice paddies that I was able to visit.  There are two varieties of rice grown on Bali.  One is non-GMO (genetically modified organism) which yields three harvests a year.  The other is GMO and produces four harvests annually.  It’s impossible to tell the difference, except that the GMO rice has two heads.

Shot from above these very beautiful paddies.
Another image.
Close up of the young rice plants.

I will be traveling to the Gili Islands and Komodo Island.  So look for some action from there.

Out for now,

Craig

 

Published by

Craig

Born in New Jersey in 1956. Lives in Colorado and travels the world.

One thought on “Luwak Coffee, Tegallalang Terraced Rice Paddies, Bali”

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.