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Civet Coffee (Kopi Luwak)

BR Hills, Karnataka, 20 Nov 2005

Civet coffee is coffee berries which have been eaten by and passed through the digestive tract of the Common Palm Civet.

These animals gorge on the ripe berries, and the undigested beans are excreted. Locals then gather the beans, which come fairly intact, and sell them to the dealers.

It is believed that enzymes in the stomach of the civet add to the coffee's flavor by breaking down the proteins that give coffee its bitter taste. This coffee sells for about $800/KG and BR Hills is the only place in India where this coffee is produced.


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