Surpassing civet coffee grade！ Thailand’s Golden Triangle “elephant poop coffee” costs 1,500 baht per cup

By Rita

Craving a cup of coffee in the afternoon? If you’re a coffee lover, you might have heard of civet coffee. But would you dare to try “elephant poop coffee”?

“Black Ivory Coffee”Claimed to be the world’s most expensive coffee, it is produced in only one place — the Golden Triangle in Chiang Rai, Thailand. Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort in northern Thailand’s Golden Triangle region has launched an itinerary that includes “riding an elephant in the morning and sipping elephant poop coffee in the afternoon.”

▲ Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort has launched an itinerary that includes “riding an elephant in the morning and sipping elephant poop coffee in the afternoon” (Photo /Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort fan page)

According to Australian media couriermailreports,Black Ivory Coffee is the brainchild of Canadian businessman Blake Dinkin, who previously studied civet coffee in Ethiopia. After being digested through an animal’s gut, the proteins in the coffee beans are broken down by enzymes, resulting in less bitterness. To produce this coffee, the elephants at the resort are fed coffee beans as part of their daily diet, which are then quickly collected after digestion and excretion.

▲ After being digested through an elephant’s gut, the proteins in the coffee beans are broken down by enzymes, resulting in less bitterness (Photo /Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort fan page)

Those who have tried it say the coffee has a smooth taste and is indeed not bitter. It doesn’t come cheap, with a price tag of about 1,500 Taiwan dollars per cup. Currently, Taiwan’s low-cost carriers Tigerair and V Air (as of January 7, 2015) both offer direct flights to Chiang Mai, so coffee lovers and jungle adventure enthusiasts can head there to give it a try！