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.