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Frequently Asked Questions
Q.
Arabica vs Robusta, what's the difference?
A.
Arabica and Robusta are botanically separate species;
they grow in relatively different conditions and produce
coffee that has different properties.
Rather than 'rehashing' information that can be obtained
from other sites we request that you read some of the
pages linked to below to gain an understanding of the
differences between the two coffee types. It should
be noted that most pages you read on this subject will
have been written with the view that Arabica is the
superior tasting coffee however other countries, such
as Italy, France and many Asian countries, do not necessarily
share this opinion.
Arabica
vs Robusta
No
Contest
What's
the difference
Arabica coffee is much more in demand and is more difficult
to obtain hence the difference in price on this site.
Q.
What is a Luwak?
A.
The name Luwak, along with Lubak and Musang are all
regional Indonesian names for the Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxus
hermaphroditus), a cat-like animal common to many
south east Asian countries. There is an entire page
devoted to the Luwak here Meet
The Luwak.
Q.
What is Kopi Luwak/ Luwak Coffee?
A.
Kopi Luwak is coffee made from coffee beans that have
been eaten by a Luwak. Regular coffee cherries are hand
picked and the flesh of the berry is removed by mechanical
means. When a coffee cherry is eaten by a Luwak the
flesh is removed through digestion in the stomach of
the Luwak, and the beans are collected after they have
passed out of the Luwak.
Q.
Does Animalcoffee farm Luwaks for kopi luwak?
A.
No. All Animalcoffee kopi luwak is collected in plantations
and the surrounding jungle and is the droppings of wild
luwaks.
Q.
Where is Animalcoffee?
A.
Animalcoffee is an Indonesian company; all Animalcoffee
orders are sent directly from one of our Indonesian
offices.
Q.
Is Kopi Luwak real?
A.
Kopi Luwak is neither an urban myth nor a scam. After
looking at other sites offering kopi luwak we wanted
to present it in a way that customers could be sure
that they were purchasing the genuine article, hence
our including a sample of the natural unprocessed Luwak
coffee in each box.
Q.
Why does Kopi Luwak taste so much better than other
coffees?
A.
There are both technical and practical reasons for the
superior taste of Kopi Luwak.
Luwak use their keen sense of smell to select the very
best ripe coffee beans. A Luwak will visit a plantation
and eat only a fraction of the available beans, leaving
any that are inferior or not quite ready on the tree.
This means that the beans are individually selected
by an animal that is specially adapted for this purpose
and is far superior to humans at doing this.
Laboratory tests have demonstrated that there is also
a qualitative reason why kopi luwak beans taste better
than other coffee. As the beans pass through the digestive
tract of the Luwak, the acids in the stomach of the
Luwak permeate the bean and leach out some of the proteins
in the bean responsible for its bitterness resulting
in a sweeter coffee bean. A more technical explanation
can be found here New
Research Explains Structure, Taste of Kopi Luwak.
Q.
Do Luwaks only eat coffee beans?
A.
Coffee is a seasonal fruit so it isn't always available
for the Luwak to eat. Luwak are omnivorous and will
eat many other fruits in addition to eggs, cheese and
even some meat if given the opportunity.
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