The world’s most expensive cat poop? Gourmet hunters rush to buy it at 6,000 NT dollars per jin

Written/Compiled and Reported by Li Xinyi, MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Life Network

Can cat feces really be sold? Yes—in Indonesia, there’s even a group of people who make a living by collecting civet droppings. The world’s most expensive civet coffee is primarily produced on the eastern part of Java Island in Indonesia. With its unique coffee aroma, it has always been a favorite among connoisseurs. Civets are nocturnal, cat-like animals native to the forests of Southeast Asia. They have a strong smell but are very friendly, and their favorite snack is ripe coffee beans. After eating the coffee beans and digesting the fresh fruit pulp, the civets excrete the beans intact, which become the world-renowned civet coffee. This kind of “cat poop coffee” can cost up to 200 US dollars per kilogram (approximately 6,000 NT dollars), making it as precious as gold. In the mountainous jungles of Java Island, there’s a special group of hunters who search for civet droppings in the wild during the coffee harvest season from April to June each year.

Why is civet coffee so magical? There’s still no definitive answer. Some say it’s due to the civet’s unique digestive process, while others believe it’s because civets only eat the best coffee beans. Either way, civets have always been a part of Java’s natural forests. But starting in 2007, companies began mass-producing and exporting civet coffee to meet global demand. As a result, many civet farms have emerged locally, where civets captured in the wild are fed premium coffee beans. During the coffee harvest season, farmers collect droppings daily and release the civets back into the wild once the season ends.

Turning cat poop into a cup of coffee is actually quite simple. First, the digested coffee beans are washed over and over again, then dried in the sun to create coffee with a mild nutty aroma and slight bitterness. Finally, it’s sold at premium prices to coffee enthusiasts around the world. The environment, civets, and economic benefits are inseparable. The people of Java protect the civets and forests around them, as well as the coffee trees. Maintaining the relationship between coffee and civets—and that between nature and humans—is absolutely a sustainable industry that’s worthwhile for Indonesians. Learn more about little-known anecdotes of exotic cultures in “Mama Mia!I’m in…Indonesia,” premiering nationwide at 9 PM tomorrow (the 12th) on the National Geographic Channel.

National Geographic Channel: www.natgeotv.com

● Extended Reading: Celebrating the Resumption of Flights by Indonesia Airlines   Grab Luxury Gifts Worth 10,000 NT Dollars

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