On 27 Oct 2006 16:21:33 -0700, wrote:

>
>Jke wrote:
>> >> I did some googling in Dutch - several sites say the nuts are "passed"
>> >> through a living goat before being pressed. If only to remove the shell,
>> >> they can't digest the actual nut, apparently. But these days, hand
>> >> shelling
>> >> is done, too.
>> >>
>> >> Apparently, it tastes nutty and like sweetish sesame .
>> >>
>> >> My source:
>> >>
>> >> http://www.meeuwig.nl/producten.html (under olie, then argan)
>> >
>> > I'm adventurous when it comes to food, but I have to draw the line at
>> > live insects, and animal excrement!
>> >
>>
>>
>
>
>I've heard the story of this coffee for years, then a couple of years
>ago, I was told that it is an urban legend, (like Chinese 100 or 1000
>year old eggs, whatever they're called), by a couple of college
>students from that part of the world. It's called "puffery" by
>advertisors.
>
>Pooped out coffee beans? People are following these elusive animals
>around and collecting their excrement?
>It's a good story, but not very believable. It sounds like the natives
>are laughing it up over conning the food snobs with such a ridiculous
>story.
>
>Sorry, not buying it.

I've watched a short documentary on it. It showed the cat in question(actually
eating the coffee berries), the poops, and the people gathering the poops to
extract the beans. It also showed a local breaking up a cat-poop to show the
beans in it. It then showed brief parts of the process to clean them up.

The cat likes the soft berry around the coffee bean, and swallows them after
chewing them. The bean survives the digestive tract of the cat.

If it was a make-up story(the documentary I saw), I'd give them full marks for
believability. The concept of brewing coffee that had first passed through a cat
sounds does sound rather weird, though. I'd like to meet the guy who first
thought of it.



Cheers,

Rod.....Out Back