Kopi Luwak

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My dive buddies Anne Marie and Louie had decided to hire a car to drive down towards Ubud, and since I was headed there too, I joined the ride. The drive through Central Bali was very lovely, with rice fields, mountains and lakes. It was no hardship taking a slow drive, and stopping when the notion overcame us. The first place we stopped was at a lake overlook, and then we stopped for lunch at a local venue selling suckling pig. Mmm. Then, our driver/guide suggested we stop at a coffee plantation to try several local teas and coffees, notably the Kopi Luwak.

If you don't know what Luwak coffee is, let me enlighten you. It is the most expensive coffee in the world, and is only made in Indonesia. The reason it is so special is that its a dual process to make the coffee. The Luwak animal (also called a Civet) finds the plump red coffee berries and eats them. They then pass through the digestive track and he defecates them out. The beans are then collected, dried, roasted, and brewed for a unique taste!

We sat down at a table and were introduced to several varieties of beverages, including Bali coffee, Sumatra coffee, Lemon grass tea, Ginger tea, and Ginseng coffee blended with caramel. I thought the Ginseng coffee was so tasty, and the lemon grass stood out as well. Then, we ordered one cup of Kopi Luwak for the 3 of us (none of us are really big coffee drinkers). I was surprised at how smooth the coffee was, and wasn't very bitter at all. In fact, with a little sugar in it, I kinda liked it!

Always fun expanding my culinary habits!

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