Ooops! Coffee from Civet Cat's Poops!

One afternoon, drinking what seems to be the most expensive coffee...
One afternoon, realizing what might alleviate the country from poverty, over cup-fulls of  information.
One cup of joe coming from coffee beans which passed through some cats digestive tract.
One place where you can have these all!

Finally, I was able to savor Civet Coffee! Known also as Coffee Alamid.   I had my first encounter with these at a Food Expo, where a representative from  Davao Zoo, introduced us to the beans which claimed to be healthy and better tasting than most types of coffees.  We had a few drops to sample on since it was the third day of the expo and as we've been informed that the cost is  high.
I don't have to go to Davao or anywhere for that matter just  for me  to try this again.   I was actually looking forward to visiting ROX Bldg. at BGC and have coffee at Alamid Express.  But just can't have the time.

   At Cash and Carry Mall, in Makati, a quaint coffee shop at the corner near the escalator exists.   Whenever we pass by that corner, I've always noticed a "katsa"-like window fixing mounted, where a civet cat is printed on it and says Coffee Alamid.   The day before that, we were at Silang Cavite and Amadeo, I thought we were going to some coffee shops to try Amadeo's best brews, but alas, no take yet.


So, What is Alamid Coffee?
   Coffee Alamid is Philippine Civet Coffee from wild civet droppings.  Paradoxorus Philippinensis, its scientific name, is a civet which belongs to the mongoose family -  a nocturnal animal which uses its nose to choose the ripest and sweetest coffee cherries and relentlessly eats them during coffee season. Gathered very early in the morning usually before the sun rises, the forest dwellers climb the mountain and pick the civet droppings on the forest floors.
    You may consider me crazy, or you may say, " this is way to serious" or perhaps a person may be so desperate enough for their caffeine fix to drink this in the first place?
This is why many want to try it,
   Coffee Alamid is a blend of the Philippine's finest Arabica, Liberica and  Exelsa beans.  
The civet digests the soft outer part of the coffee cherry, but does not digest the inner beans and excretes them.  Apparently the internal digestion ends up adds a unique flavor to the beans, removing the bitter flavor, and then beans are then picked up by locals and sold. The most expensive coffee beans can cost up to $600 a pound, and up to $50 per cup, if you can get over the fact that you are drinking such a strange brew  When roasted, it exudes an almost musical, fruity aroma. It has a strong, sweet, dark chocolatey taste that is  perfect for that morning kick or high power meetings. Definitely a clean cup.
The Espresso produced with this roast is very chocolate-like, full-bodied and well-balanced (right degree of bitterness and acidity).  Furthermore, it produces a huge amount of crema. The aftertaste is very
positive and lasts very long. To sum it up, I like the coffee very much!
   Miss Elena Tence, owner of 18 Days Coffee Roaster, even sat at our table to discuss how special this coffee is.   Being expensive may be an over-statement (well it may depend on the person really), a cup of it costs, P250+, but I managed to ask whether we can have it in two cups, for me and my husband.  Coffee Alamid comes in Cafe Mocha, Cafe Latte, Capuccino, etc.  prepared just like any imported coffees from famous coffee chains.   It is also known as Kopi Luwak, as she added, being a sought-after gourmet coffee by coffee connoisseurs.   She even told us a funny story about a certain movie, Bucket List, where actors Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman mentioned this unusual coffee from Sumatra on the Bucket List movie.  At that movie, the character played by Morgan Freeman, preferred drinking this coffee, being expensive and a coffee coming from Indonesia.   However, he doesn't know where and how it was processed!

 

    I also had this, along with my exotic coffee...

Ferino's Bibingka!