|
The most expensive coffee...
I think I'll "pass" personally. ;-)
At $300.00 per lb. that's some seriously expensive shit! http://www.sallys-place.com/beverage...kopi_luwak.htm Coffee grows in dozens of countries around the world. Some varieties have earned a special reputation, often based on a combination of rarity, unusual circumstances and particularly good flavor. These coffees, from Jamaican Blue Mountain to Kona to Tanzanian Peaberry, command a premium price. But perhaps no coffee in the world is in such short supply, has such unique flavors and an, um, interesting background as Kopi Luwak. And no coffee even comes close in price: Kopi Luwak sells for $75 per quarter pound. Granted, that's substantially less than marijuana, but it's still unimaginably high for coffee. Kopi (the Indonesian word for coffee) Luwak comes from the islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi (formerly Celebes), which are part of the Indonesian Archepelago's 13,677 islands (only 6,000 of which are inhabited). But it's not strictly the exotic location that makes these beans worth their weight in silver. It's how they're "processed." On these Indonesian islands, there's a small marsupial called the paradoxurus, a tree-dwelling animal that is part of the sibet family. Long regarded by the natives as pests, they climb among the coffee trees eating only the ripest, reddest coffee cherries. Who knows who first thought of it, or how or why, but what these animals eat they must also digest and eventually excrete. Some brazen or desparate -- or simply lazy -- local gathered the beans, which come through the digestion process fairly intact, still wrapped in layers of the cherries' mucilage. The enzymes in the animals' stomachs, though, appear to add something unique to the coffee's flavor through fermentation. Curiously, Kopi Luwak isn't the only "specialty" food that begins this way. Argan is an acacia-like tree that grows in Morocco and Mexico which, through its olive-like fruit, yields argan oil. In Morocco, the Berbers encourage goats to climb the trees to eat the fruit. They later gather the goats' excrement and remove the pits, which they grind for oil to be used in massage, in cooking and as an aphrodisiac. What started as, presumably, a way for the natives to get coffee without climbing the trees has since evolved into the world's priciest specialty coffee. Japan buys the bulk of Kopi Luwak, but M.P. Mountanos (800-229-1611), the first in the United States to bring in this exotic bean, recently imported 110 pounds after a seven year search for a reliable and stable supplier. "It's the rarest beverage in the world," Mark Mountanos says, estimating a total annual crop of less than 500 pounds. Richard Karno, former owner of The Novel Cafe in Santa Monica, California, got a flyer from Mountanos about Kopi Luwak and "thought it was a joke." But Karno was intrigued, found it it was for real, and ordered a pound for a tasting. Karno sent out releases to the local press inviting them to a cupping. When no one responded, he roasted it and held a cupping for himself and his employees. Karno is very enthusiastic, a convert to Kopi Luwak. "It's the best coffee I've ever tasted. It's really good, heavy with a caramel taste, heavy body. It smells musty and jungle-like green, but it roasts up real nice. The LA Times didn't come to our cupping, but ran a bit in their food section, which hit the AP Wire service." And Karno and the folks at M.P. Mountanos have been inundated with calls ever since. Mountanos says, "It's the most complex coffee I've ever tasted," attributing the unusual flavors to the natural fermentation the coffee beans undergo in the paradoxurus' digestive system. The stomach acids and enzymes are very different from fermenting beans in water. Mountanos says, "It has a little of everything pleasurable in all coffees: earthy, musty tone, the heaviest bodied I've ever tasted. It's almost syrupy, and the aroma is very unique." While it won't be turning up in every neighborhood cafe any day soon, Mountanos reports that Starbucks bought it for cuppings within the company. In fact, most of Mountanos' customers have bought it for special cuppings. The Coffee Critic in San Mateo, California, though, occasionally sells Kopi Luwak to the public for $5 a cup. Owner Linda Nederman says she keeps the price low to allow people to experience the coffee. Nederman says that most of her people who try it are longtime customers, and they're "game to try something different and unusual. I've never had anybody complain, they all seem to feel it's worth the price." Nederman drinks it herself every time they brew it. "I've never tasted anything like it. It's an unbelieveable taste in your mouth: richness, body, earthiness, smooth." She also carries Jamaica Blue Mountain, Burundi Superior AA and Brazil FZA "Natural Dry," so her customers are used to fine and exotic coffees. Still, she reports, many are afraid to try Kopi Luwak. Michael Beech, founding partner in Raven's Brew Coffee: http://www.ravensbrew.com/ or email: , a roaster, wholesaler and mail order (800-91-RAVEN) merchant in Ketchikan, Alaska, used to sell roasted-to-order Kopi Luwak by the quarter pound ($75, including a free t-shirt depicting the coffee-making process) but no longer does: http://www.ravensbrew.com/NewFiles/kopiluwak.html . "It's excellent coffee. But I always caution customers that you can't get $75 worth of quality in any coffee, there's no such thing. You're paying for the experience of quaffing the world's rarest and most expensive coffee. The palate would recognize it as Sumatran or Indonesian right away. It has earthy tones of natural processed Sumatra Mandheling. It has low acidity with a syrupy body. There's something else there, a nuance in the flavor profile that I can't describe, and when I've challanged others, no one else can either. It's almost alien, a tiny little flavor note, highly exotic." The last bag he sold was to John Cleese of Monty Python and Fierce Creatures fame. But not everyone is seduced by this exotic coffee's charms. "Kopi Luwak is, in my opinion, indistinguishable from many an average robusta, especially if you cup them next to each other," says Tim Castle, coffee expert and author of The Perfect Cup, referring to the lower grade of commercially available coffees. "Kopi Luwak's processing is unusual and attracts attention. In that sense, it is an interesting coffee." Intrigued by the hype, I drove out to the Los Angeles warehouse of M.P. Mountanos to cup some Kopi with Andrew Vournas. The green beans, which range from tiny to elephant, have a faint smell that hints of a zoo or stables -- a little funky, not your average coffee aroma. He lightly roasts about 21 grams, enough beans for three cups, in a Jabez Burns two barrel sample roaster, a rare and beautiful machine dating from the '30s. Vournas gives the beans a light roast -- just after the second popping -- to accentuate the specific flavors of this rare coffee; a darker roast would obliterate the subtler flavors and replace them with a more generic taste. Vournas points out that this coffee, like most Indonesian-grown, has lots of moisture and roasts nicely. Vournas gives the beans a course grind and mixes seven grams of coffee with four ounces of water in each of three cups. The aroma is rich and strong, and the coffee is incredibly full bodied, almost syrupy. It's thick with a hint of chocolate, and lingers on the tongue with a long, clean aftertaste. It's definitely one of the most interesting and unusual cups I've ever had. Is it worth the money? Five dollars for a single cup? Sure, why not? You'll pay more than that in any Paris cafe for a bad au lait. Might as well spend it on something rare and exotic. -- Peace, Om Remove _ to validate e-mails. "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson |
The most expensive coffee...
OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote: > I think I'll "pass" personally. ;-) > At $300.00 per lb. that's some seriously expensive shit! Yikes! I'll stick with the Kenya AA. |
The most expensive coffee...
In article . com>,
"Ace Berserker" > wrote: > OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote: > > I think I'll "pass" personally. ;-) > > At $300.00 per lb. that's some seriously expensive shit! > > Yikes! I'll stick with the Kenya AA. I like Kona... -- Peace, Om Remove _ to validate e-mails. "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson |
The most expensive coffee...
> > OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
> > > I think I'll "pass" personally. ;-) > > > At $300.00 per lb. that's some seriously expensive shit! > > > > Yikes! I'll stick with the Kenya AA. > > I like Kona... > -- > Peace, Om Personally we like Community Coffee (New Orleans stuff). However, we did received a gift of the Luwak incredibly pricey stuff didn't like it at all! Guess it's our crummy American palet, but we were non-appreciaters! |
The most expensive coffee...
In article >,
"Chris Marksberry" > wrote: > > > OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote: > > > > I think I'll "pass" personally. ;-) > > > > At $300.00 per lb. that's some seriously expensive shit! > > > > > > Yikes! I'll stick with the Kenya AA. > > > > I like Kona... > > -- > > Peace, Om > > Personally we like Community Coffee (New Orleans stuff). > > However, we did received a gift of the Luwak incredibly pricey stuff didn't > like it at all! Guess it's our crummy American palet, but we were > non-appreciaters! I'm sure the fecal content had something to do with it... You have better taste than that. IMHO really outrageously expensive foods are over-rated and only good for the "snob" factor. Caviar comes to mind...... as do really expensive champagnes. I like Ballatore. -- Peace, Om Remove _ to validate e-mails. "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson |
The most expensive coffee...
Chris Marksberry wrote:
>> > OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote: >> > > I think I'll "pass" personally. ;-) >> > > At $300.00 per lb. that's some seriously expensive shit! >> > >> > Yikes! I'll stick with the Kenya AA. >> >> I like Kona... >> -- >> Peace, Om > > Personally we like Community Coffee (New Orleans stuff). Now yer talking!! That dash of chocory is the bomb! I'd live off cajun coffee if I could. Unfortunately, it's kind of hard to come by here. Every now and then, we'll find some and buy a bunch. And it goes fast. I also had the great blessing to receive some coffee grown in Kenya. That was also very very good, but it didn't have the kick that cajun coffee has. -feverish |
The most expensive coffee...
OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
>> Personally we like Community Coffee (New Orleans stuff). >> >> However, we did received a gift of the Luwak incredibly pricey stuff >> didn't >> like it at all! Guess it's our crummy American palet, but we were >> non-appreciaters! > > I'm sure the fecal content had something to do with it... > You have better taste than that. > > IMHO really outrageously expensive foods are over-rated and only good > for the "snob" factor. > > Caviar comes to mind...... as do really expensive champagnes. > I like Ballatore. I had some caviar once, when I was about 9 or 10. A wee little spoonful. I think that was one of the major factors contributing to my vegetarianism. LOL!! -feverish |
The most expensive coffee...
In article >, feverish >
wrote: > OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote: > > > >> Personally we like Community Coffee (New Orleans stuff). > >> > >> However, we did received a gift of the Luwak incredibly pricey stuff > >> didn't > >> like it at all! Guess it's our crummy American palet, but we were > >> non-appreciaters! > > > > I'm sure the fecal content had something to do with it... > > You have better taste than that. > > > > IMHO really outrageously expensive foods are over-rated and only good > > for the "snob" factor. > > > > Caviar comes to mind...... as do really expensive champagnes. > > I like Ballatore. > > I had some caviar once, when I was about 9 or 10. A wee little spoonful. I > think that was one of the major factors contributing to my vegetarianism. > > LOL!! > > -feverish Heh! It is an acquired taste I guess. ;-) I always, _always_ eat it with cream cheese on crackers or melba toast. The cream cheese cuts the saltiness considerably. I only eat it once per year for New Years. It's kinda traditional. Even the cheap jarred stuff is expensive. Central Market allows you to taste the various fresh caviar that they sell during the holiday season and I've just found that the less expensive ones are actually tastier than the really high priced ones. Paddlefish is becoming very popular due to the price of Beluga. Paddlefish are also not a threatened species. They are actually being farmed for caviar. -- Peace, Om Remove _ to validate e-mails. "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson |
The most expensive coffee...
OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
> Heh! It is an acquired taste I guess. ;-) > I always, _always_ eat it with cream cheese on crackers or melba toast. > The cream cheese cuts the saltiness considerably. Makes sense. Like putting a potato into a pot of too salty something or other. > I only eat it once per year for New Years. It's kinda traditional. > Even the cheap jarred stuff is expensive. /thinking back I believe it *was* on New Year's eve that I had this "treat" > Central Market allows you to taste the various fresh caviar that they > sell during the holiday season and I've just found that the less > expensive ones are actually tastier than the really high priced ones. I don't know where you are, Om, but by that time, I'll be in a little town with a population under 700. No giving out of tastes of caviar there, more than likely.. heheh > Paddlefish is becoming very popular due to the price of Beluga. > Paddlefish are also not a threatened species. They are actually being > farmed for caviar. That's cool. I wonder what the snobs think of paddlefish caviar? -feverish |
The most expensive coffee...
In article >, feverish >
wrote: > > Paddlefish is becoming very popular due to the price of Beluga. > > Paddlefish are also not a threatened species. They are actually being > > farmed for caviar. > > That's cool. I wonder what the snobs think of paddlefish caviar? > > -feverish Ecology is fashionable... fortunately. ;-) -- Peace, Om Remove _ to validate e-mails. "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson |
The most expensive coffee...
"OmManiPadmeOmelet" > schreef in bericht ... >I think I'll "pass" personally. ;-) > At $300.00 per lb. that's some seriously expensive shit! > > http://www.sallys-place.com/beverage...kopi_luwak.htm > > Coffee grows in dozens of countries around the world. Some varieties > have earned a special reputation, often based on a combination of > rarity, unusual circumstances and particularly good flavor. These > coffees, from Jamaican Blue Mountain to Kona to Tanzanian Peaberry, > command a premium price. But perhaps no coffee in the world is in such > short supply, has such unique flavors and an, um, interesting background > as Kopi Luwak. And no coffee even comes close in price: Kopi Luwak sells > for $75 per quarter pound. Granted, that's substantially less than > marijuana, but it's still unimaginably high for coffee. > > Kopi (the Indonesian word for coffee) Luwak comes from the islands of > Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi (formerly Celebes), which are part of the > Indonesian Archepelago's 13,677 islands (only 6,000 of which are > inhabited). But it's not strictly the exotic location that makes these > beans worth their weight in silver. It's how they're "processed." > > On these Indonesian islands, there's a small marsupial called the > paradoxurus, a tree-dwelling animal that is part of the sibet family. > Long regarded by the natives as pests, they climb among the coffee trees > eating only the ripest, reddest coffee cherries. Who knows who first > thought of it, or how or why, but what these animals eat they must also > digest and eventually excrete. Some brazen or desparate -- or simply > lazy -- local gathered the beans, which come through the digestion > process fairly intact, still wrapped in layers of the cherries' > mucilage. The enzymes in the animals' stomachs, though, appear to add > something unique to the coffee's flavor through fermentation. > > Curiously, Kopi Luwak isn't the only "specialty" food that begins this > way. Argan is an acacia-like tree that grows in Morocco and Mexico > which, through its olive-like fruit, yields argan oil. In Morocco, the > Berbers encourage goats to climb the trees to eat the fruit. They later > gather the goats' excrement and remove the pits, which they grind for > oil to be used in massage, in cooking and as an aphrodisiac. > > What started as, presumably, a way for the natives to get coffee without > climbing the trees has since evolved into the world's priciest specialty > coffee. Japan buys the bulk of Kopi Luwak, but M.P. Mountanos > (800-229-1611), the first in the United States to bring in this exotic > bean, recently imported 110 pounds after a seven year search for a > reliable and stable supplier. "It's the rarest beverage in the world," > Mark Mountanos says, estimating a total annual crop of less than 500 > pounds. > > Richard Karno, former owner of The Novel Cafe in Santa Monica, > California, got a flyer from Mountanos about Kopi Luwak and "thought it > was a joke." But Karno was intrigued, found it it was for real, and > ordered a pound for a tasting. Karno sent out releases to the local > press inviting them to a cupping. When no one responded, he roasted it > and held a cupping for himself and his employees. Karno is very > enthusiastic, a convert to Kopi Luwak. "It's the best coffee I've ever > tasted. It's really good, heavy with a caramel taste, heavy body. It > smells musty and jungle-like green, but it roasts up real nice. The LA > Times didn't come to our cupping, but ran a bit in their food section, > which hit the AP Wire service." And Karno and the folks at M.P. > Mountanos have been inundated with calls ever since. > > Mountanos says, "It's the most complex coffee I've ever tasted," > attributing the unusual flavors to the natural fermentation the coffee > beans undergo in the paradoxurus' digestive system. The stomach acids > and enzymes are very different from fermenting beans in water. Mountanos > says, "It has a little of everything pleasurable in all coffees: earthy, > musty tone, the heaviest bodied I've ever tasted. It's almost syrupy, > and the aroma is very unique." While it won't be turning up in every > neighborhood cafe any day soon, Mountanos reports that Starbucks bought > it for cuppings within the company. > > In fact, most of Mountanos' customers have bought it for special > cuppings. The Coffee Critic in San Mateo, California, though, > occasionally sells Kopi Luwak to the public for $5 a cup. Owner Linda > Nederman says she keeps the price low to allow people to experience the > coffee. Nederman says that most of her people who try it are longtime > customers, and they're "game to try something different and unusual. > I've never had anybody complain, they all seem to feel it's worth the > price." Nederman drinks it herself every time they brew it. "I've never > tasted anything like it. It's an unbelieveable taste in your mouth: > richness, body, earthiness, smooth." She also carries Jamaica Blue > Mountain, Burundi Superior AA and Brazil FZA "Natural Dry," so her > customers are used to fine and exotic coffees. Still, she reports, many > are afraid to try Kopi Luwak. > > Michael Beech, founding partner in Raven's Brew Coffee: > http://www.ravensbrew.com/ or email: , a roaster, > wholesaler and mail order (800-91-RAVEN) merchant in Ketchikan, Alaska, > used to sell roasted-to-order Kopi Luwak by the quarter pound ($75, > including a free t-shirt depicting the coffee-making process) but no > longer does: http://www.ravensbrew.com/NewFiles/kopiluwak.html . "It's > excellent coffee. But I always caution customers that you can't get $75 > worth of quality in any coffee, there's no such thing. You're paying for > the experience of quaffing the world's rarest and most expensive coffee. > The palate would recognize it as Sumatran or Indonesian right away. It > has earthy tones of natural processed Sumatra Mandheling. It has low > acidity with a syrupy body. There's something else there, a nuance in > the flavor profile that I can't describe, and when I've challanged > others, no one else can either. It's almost alien, a tiny little flavor > note, highly exotic." The last bag he sold was to John Cleese of Monty > Python and Fierce Creatures fame. > > But not everyone is seduced by this exotic coffee's charms. "Kopi Luwak > is, in my opinion, indistinguishable from many an average robusta, > especially if you cup them next to each other," says Tim Castle, coffee > expert and author of The Perfect Cup, referring to the lower grade of > commercially available coffees. "Kopi Luwak's processing is unusual and > attracts attention. In that sense, it is an interesting coffee." > > Intrigued by the hype, I drove out to the Los Angeles warehouse of M.P. > Mountanos to cup some Kopi with Andrew Vournas. The green beans, which > range from tiny to elephant, have a faint smell that hints of a zoo or > stables -- a little funky, not your average coffee aroma. He lightly > roasts about 21 grams, enough beans for three cups, in a Jabez Burns two > barrel sample roaster, a rare and beautiful machine dating from the > '30s. Vournas gives the beans a light roast -- just after the second > popping -- to accentuate the specific flavors of this rare coffee; a > darker roast would obliterate the subtler flavors and replace them with > a more generic taste. Vournas points out that this coffee, like most > Indonesian-grown, has lots of moisture and roasts nicely. > > Vournas gives the beans a course grind and mixes seven grams of coffee > with four ounces of water in each of three cups. The aroma is rich and > strong, and the coffee is incredibly full bodied, almost syrupy. It's > thick with a hint of chocolate, and lingers on the tongue with a long, > clean aftertaste. It's definitely one of the most interesting and > unusual cups I've ever had. > > Is it worth the money? Five dollars for a single cup? Sure, why not? > You'll pay more than that in any Paris cafe for a bad au lait. Might as > well spend it on something rare and exotic. > -- > Peace, Om > > Remove _ to validate e-mails. > > "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack > Nicholson i beleive argan oil is produced using similar mehtods> I am very tempted to try it, but the cost and my overly full pantry stopped me from buying ti when I finally discovered a small bottle in a store recently. IIRC, the price was 7,50 Euros for 100 ml (organic argan oil). |
The most expensive coffee...
In article >,
"Jke" > wrote: > "OmManiPadmeOmelet" > schreef in bericht > ... > >I think I'll "pass" personally. ;-) > > At $300.00 per lb. that's some seriously expensive shit! > > > > http://www.sallys-place.com/beverage...kopi_luwak.htm > > <snipped for space> > > i beleive argan oil is produced using similar mehtods> I am very tempted to > try it, but the cost and my overly full pantry stopped me from buying ti > when I finally discovered a small bottle in a store recently. IIRC, the > price was 7,50 Euros for 100 ml (organic argan oil). Please trim posts? ;-) That one was really too long to begin with but I could not see any way to shorten it as some people don't like to follow links... I had to google the above: http://www.dietobio.com/aliments/en/argan.html but it does not look like it passes thru the digestive system of an animal first???? -- Peace, Om Remove _ to validate e-mails. "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson |
The most expensive coffee...
> > Please trim posts? ;-) Yes, ma'am :) That one slipped through :) > That one was really too long to begin with but I could not see any way > to shorten it as some people don't like to follow links... > > I had to google the above: > > http://www.dietobio.com/aliments/en/argan.html > > but it does not look like it passes thru the digestive system of an > animal first???? > -- 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) |
The most expensive coffee...
In article >,
"Jke" > wrote: > > I had to google the above: > > > > http://www.dietobio.com/aliments/en/argan.html > > > > but it does not look like it passes thru the digestive system of an > > animal first???? > > 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'd have to be starving...... -- Peace, Om Remove _ to validate e-mails. "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson |
The most expensive coffee...
>> 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! > :) |
The most expensive coffee...
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. |
The most expensive coffee...
On Fri, 27 Oct 2006 12:20:51 -0500, OmManiPadmeOmelet
> wrote: >Karno is very >enthusiastic, a convert to Kopi Luwak. "It's the best coffee I've ever >tasted. It's really good, heavy with a caramel taste, heavy body Peet's has a Sulawesi-Kalosi blend I haven't tried yet. I like Sulawesi as a single bean. I bet Kopi Luwak is good too, but overall Indonesian coffee is just plain *good*. -- See return address to reply by email |
The most expensive coffee...
Rod Out Back wrote: > 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 When I was a kid, there was a short clip shown on tv comedy shows about how spaghetti came from spaghetti trees in Italy. It showed an orchard of spaghetti trees in Italy while the voice-over explained how the spaghetti was grown and nutured until it reached its perfection, then was harvested. The trees were dripping with beautifully formed spaghetti strands as far as the eye can see, while Italian women came with baskets and carefully pulled it off the trees. The cinematography was as good as any professionally made movie, and the actors stayed in character while pulling the harvest off the trees. It was hilarious. It looked realistic, but I knew it was make-believe. (After all: everyone knows that spaghetti is made from flour, eggs, and water, and comes in rectangular boxes for about $.88 per pound). Coffee pooped out of a cat for $300 per pound? There's a sucker born every minute. |
The most expensive coffee...
In article >, sf wrote:
> On Fri, 27 Oct 2006 12:20:51 -0500, OmManiPadmeOmelet > > wrote: > > >Karno is very > >enthusiastic, a convert to Kopi Luwak. "It's the best coffee I've ever > >tasted. It's really good, heavy with a caramel taste, heavy body > > Peet's has a Sulawesi-Kalosi blend I haven't tried yet. I like > Sulawesi as a single bean. I bet Kopi Luwak is good too, but overall > Indonesian coffee is just plain *good*. Hon', Luwak is animal shit... I'd not drink it on a bet!!!!!! -- Peace, Om Remove _ to validate e-mails. "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson |
The most expensive coffee...
OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
> I think I'll "pass" personally. ;-) > At $300.00 per lb. that's some seriously expensive shit! > > http://www.sallys-place.com/beverage...kopi_luwak.htm > [snip] > Kopi (the Indonesian word for coffee) Luwak comes from the islands of > Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi (formerly Celebes), which are part of the > Indonesian Archepelago's 13,677 islands (only 6,000 of which are > inhabited). But it's not strictly the exotic location that makes these > beans worth their weight in silver. It's how they're "processed." > > On these Indonesian islands, there's a small marsupial called the > paradoxurus, a tree-dwelling animal that is part of the sibet family. > Long regarded by the natives as pests, they climb among the coffee trees > eating only the ripest, reddest coffee cherries. Who knows who first > thought of it, or how or why, but what these animals eat they must also > digest and eventually excrete. Some brazen or desparate -- or simply > lazy -- local gathered the beans, which come through the digestion > process fairly intact, still wrapped in layers of the cherries' > mucilage. The enzymes in the animals' stomachs, though, appear to add > something unique to the coffee's flavor through fermentation. > [snip] Hehe. I had couple of coffee cups made with the pooping civet image on them. I thought about making a t-shirt but never got around to it. -- Jean B. |
The most expensive coffee...
On 27 Oct 2006 20:01:23 -0700, wrote:
> >Rod Out Back wrote: >> 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, pulling the harvest off the trees. > It was hilarious. > >It looked realistic, but I knew it was make-believe. (After all: >everyone knows that spaghetti is made from flour, eggs, and water, and >comes in rectangular boxes for about $.88 per pound). > >Coffee pooped out of a cat for $300 per pound? >There's a sucker born every minute. I have dismissed this theory for many years in alt.coffee but the idea persists:). Maybe like the people who still claim the earth is flat. Logic and science do not matter. I do think kopi luwak is a scam. I have asked an Animal behaviorist Professor at the university of Hawaii and he said "no", cats or civets would not be convinced to eat fresh coffee while kept in the a cage. I have cats and live on a coffee farm and my cats would never even entertain the idea of eating a fresh coffee bean. The dog, which is an animal whose scientific <family> is far removed from a cat's <family>, does like the sweet outside of coffee but to get even a pound of "Mollie the Collie" Luwak would take more than a week. Gross. Just my $.02 aloha, beans --smithfarms.com farmers of pure kona roast beans to kona to email |
The most expensive coffee...
In article >, sf wrote:
> >Hon', Luwak is animal shit... > > > >I'd not drink it on a bet!!!!!! > > Not exactly... although the beans did pass through an animal's > digestive track. I should have checked it out, but I didn't because I > like Indonesian coffee so much. That was a moosemeat type troll, very > good! LOL > http://www.lifeaftercoffee.com/2005/...opi-luwak-coff > ee/ Good site, thanks! :-) While I'm sure it's safe to drink, the thought of it still grosses me out. <shudder> -- Peace, Om Remove _ to validate e-mails. "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson |
The most expensive coffee...
wrote:
> On 27 Oct 2006 20:01:23 -0700, wrote: > >> Rod Out Back wrote: >>> 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, > pulling the harvest off the trees. >> It was hilarious. >> >> It looked realistic, but I knew it was make-believe. (After all: >> everyone knows that spaghetti is made from flour, eggs, and water, > and >> comes in rectangular boxes for about $.88 per pound). >> >> Coffee pooped out of a cat for $300 per pound? >> There's a sucker born every minute. > > I have dismissed this theory for many years in alt.coffee but the idea > persists:). Maybe like the people who still claim the earth is flat. > Logic and science do not matter. I do think kopi luwak is a scam. I > have asked an Animal behaviorist Professor at the university of Hawaii > and he said "no", cats or civets would not be convinced to eat fresh > coffee while kept in the a cage. > > I have cats and live on a coffee farm and my cats would never even > entertain the idea of eating a fresh coffee bean. The dog, which is > an animal whose scientific <family> is far removed from a cat's > <family>, does like the sweet outside of coffee but to get even a > pound of "Mollie the Collie" Luwak would take more than a week. Gross. > > Just my $.02 > > aloha, > beans > --smithfarms.com > farmers of pure kona > roast beans to kona to email I think you're wrong. There was an article about kopi luwak in a science magazine two or so years ago. I wish I had it here--or my local libraries kept the magazines that long. Maybe someone can find it though. -- Jean B. |
The most expensive coffee...
On Sat, 28 Oct 2006 14:54:05 -0400, "Jean B." > wrote:
wrote: >> On 27 Oct 2006 20:01:23 -0700, wrote: >> >>> Rod Out Back wrote: >>>> On 27 Oct 2006 16:21:33 -0700, wrote: >>>> >>>>> Jke wrote: > > >I think you're wrong. There was an article about kopi luwak >in a science magazine two or so years ago. I wish I had it >here--or my local libraries kept the magazines that long. >Maybe someone can find it though. We can disagree. I have discussed this issue for 10 years. I have also discussed it with animal science professors. aloha, beans. --smithfarms.com farmers of pure kona roast beans to kona to email |
The most expensive coffee...
wrote:
> On Sat, 28 Oct 2006 14:54:05 -0400, "Jean B." > wrote: > >> wrote: >>> On 27 Oct 2006 20:01:23 -0700, wrote: >>> >>>> Rod Out Back wrote: >>>>> On 27 Oct 2006 16:21:33 -0700, wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Jke wrote: >> >> I think you're wrong. There was an article about kopi luwak >> in a science magazine two or so years ago. I wish I had it >> here--or my local libraries kept the magazines that long. >> Maybe someone can find it though. > > We can disagree. I have discussed this issue for 10 years. I have > also discussed it with animal science professors. > aloha, > beans. > --smithfarms.com > farmers of pure kona > roast beans to kona to email Well, if you are right, that science magazine must have been fooled too. -- Jean B. |
The most expensive coffee...
feverish wrote: > OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote: > > > Heh! It is an acquired taste I guess. ;-) > > I always, _always_ eat it with cream cheese on crackers or melba toast. > > The cream cheese cuts the saltiness considerably. > Try caviar on french bread or crepes with unsalted whipped butter. > > Makes sense. Like putting a potato into a pot of too salty something or > other. > > > I only eat it once per year for New Years. It's kinda traditional. > > Even the cheap jarred stuff is expensive. > > /thinking back > I believe it *was* on New Year's eve that I had this "treat" > > > Central Market allows you to taste the various fresh caviar that they > > sell during the holiday season and I've just found that the less > > expensive ones are actually tastier than the really high priced ones. > > I don't know where you are, Om, but by that time, I'll be in a little town > with a population under 700. No giving out of tastes of caviar there, more > than likely.. heheh > > > Paddlefish is becoming very popular due to the price of Beluga. > > Paddlefish are also not a threatened species. They are actually being > > farmed for caviar. > > That's cool. I wonder what the snobs think of paddlefish caviar? > I prefer good beluga. Expensive though. Like hell. May be cheaper to buy a roundtrip ticket to Russia and to buy and eat it there, from a good farmer's market. They let you taste, so choose a good jar. |
The most expensive coffee...
OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote:
> > I think I'll "pass" personally. ;-) > At $300.00 per lb. that's some seriously expensive shit! > > http://www.sallys-place.com/beverage...kopi_luwak.htm > > Is it worth the money? Five dollars for a single cup? Sure, why not? > You'll pay more than that in any Paris cafe for a bad au lait. Might as > well spend it on something rare and exotic. I tried it once. It's mild and pleasant. Trouble is I like heavier more robust coffees. I'm not impressed with Kona because of that personal taste and since this lemure-poop coffee is milder than Kona it was lost on me. |
Caviar (was The most expensive coffee...)
|
Caviar (was The most expensive coffee...)
ompOmelet wrote: > In article . com>, > wrote: > > > feverish wrote: > > > OmManiPadmeOmelet wrote: > > > > > > > Heh! It is an acquired taste I guess. ;-) > > > > I always, _always_ eat it with cream cheese on crackers or melba toast. > > > > The cream cheese cuts the saltiness considerably. > > > > > > > Try caviar on french bread or crepes with unsalted whipped butter. > > > I'm told that butter and toast points are the classic way to serve it. > It's also good on bagels with cream cheese as are Lox. > > > > > Paddlefish is becoming very popular due to the price of Beluga. > > > > Paddlefish are also not a threatened species. They are actually being > > > > farmed for caviar. > > > > > > That's cool. I wonder what the snobs think of paddlefish caviar? > > > > > > > I prefer good beluga. Expensive though. Like hell. May be cheaper to > > buy a roundtrip ticket to Russia and to buy and eat it there, from a > > good farmer's market. They let you taste, so choose a good jar. > > Have you tried the Paddlefish? It has the gentle smokiness of the Beluga > but it's a LOT lower in price. > Yes,I have tried paddlefish. Smoked. Tastes just like osetra and other sturgeons. And I rtasted a little bit of padlefish caviar: tasted like other small sturgeon caviars. I like beluga for its low salt, size and aroma. Is paddlefish caviar indeed like beluga caviar? > > Still pricey for fresh tho'. > > I confess to usually using the red or black lumpfish. It's not even in > the same class...... <sigh> > I would never. Here in SF I can get excellent salmon caviar for $20 per pound and decent tobiko for $6 per pound. > > But if I'm taking it to a party, I can't afford to spring for the good > stuff. :-) > > Last year I made a cream cheese log and coated it in red lumpfish > caviar. > Use tobiko instead. > > It was still $7.00 per 1/4 oz. and I used 1/2 oz. total. The > party guests were impressed and ate it up. > Lumpfish????!!!!!!!!!!!! > > I had taken one more jar of the black with me to be served on the table > with the rest of the goodies, but the host stashed it. <G> I was > amused.... and it was ok. They were good friends so I just chalked it up > to the "host gift" that I forgot to bring! > Lumpfish????!!!!!!!!!!!! |
Caviar (was The most expensive coffee...)
|
Caviar (was The most expensive coffee...)
ompOmelet wrote: > In article . com>, > wrote: > > > > Have you tried the Paddlefish? It has the gentle smokiness of the Beluga > > > but it's a LOT lower in price. > > > > > > > Yes,I have tried paddlefish. Smoked. Tastes just like osetra and other > > sturgeons. > > > > And I rtasted a little bit of padlefish caviar: tasted like other small > > sturgeon caviars. I like beluga for its low salt, size and aroma. > > > > Is paddlefish caviar indeed like beluga caviar? > > Hm. must depend on the grade. I got to taste a little of each last time > I bought fresh over the holidays. It's been a couple of years. > > > > > > > > > Still pricey for fresh tho'. > > > > > > I confess to usually using the red or black lumpfish. It's not even in > > > the same class...... <sigh> > > > > > > > I would never. Here in SF I can get excellent salmon caviar for $20 per > > pound and decent tobiko for $6 per pound. > > I am going to have to look for tobiko! I've not had it and that's an > excellent price. I may never buy Lumpfish again! > I hope I can find it. Probably at CM in Austin or even the asian market. > > > > > > > > > But if I'm taking it to a party, I can't afford to spring for the good > > > stuff. :-) > > > > > > Last year I made a cream cheese log and coated it in red lumpfish > > > caviar. > > > > > > > Use tobiko instead. > > See above, thanks for the idea! > I was not aware of tobiko until recently. It's used in sushi. > > One good reason to join a cooking list is to get an education! :-) > > > > > > > > It was still $7.00 per 1/4 oz. and I used 1/2 oz. total. The > > > party guests were impressed and ate it up. > > > > > > > Lumpfish????!!!!!!!!!!!! > > It worked. I coated the outside of the log with it. > And yes, last holiday season I shelled out $7.00 for a 1/4 oz. jar of it > at the grocery store. I thought it was a bit steep too..... but I did > not have any other options at the time. > That's like $450 per pound! Lumpfish!!! Crazy! When you can get good, real, delicious, large, juicy salmon (!!!!!!!!!!!!) caviar for less than $25 per pound at a local Russian, Japanese or even some general Asian stores! Or for heaven's sake (pun intended), order "ikura sushi" ("ikura" is Japanese for Russian "ikra" (caviar)) at any Japanese restaurant. Costs orders of magnitude less and tastes orders of magnitude better. Good salmon caviar, in its own way, is just as great as sturgeon caviar. But you probbaly mean $7 per a 4 oz jar, not 1/4 oz. 1/4 oz is nothing. Two teaspoons or so. Jars don't come that small. Oh btw, a linguistic puzzle for the readers: most Japanese restaurants in Russia feature a sushi called "sepasy roll". Try to guess what's in it. > > > > I had taken one more jar of the black with me to be served on the table > > > with the rest of the goodies, but the host stashed it. <G> I was > > > amused.... and it was ok. They were good friends so I just chalked it up > > > to the "host gift" that I forgot to bring! > > > > > > > Lumpfish????!!!!!!!!!!!! > > Note I said that I'm aware that jarred Lumpfish is not in the same class > as fresh caviar. ;-) Sorry if I made ya nauseous or anything! > > It has fond memories. I cringe to say this, but Lumpfish caviar was the > first I ever had and it got me started on at least appreciating it. I've > since learned better but still...... > Try fresh salmon caviar instead. > > Peace, Om > > Remove _ to validate e-mails. > > "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson |
Caviar (was The most expensive coffee...)
|
Caviar (was The most expensive coffee...)
ompOmelet wrote: > In article om>, > wrote: > > > But you probbaly mean $7 per a 4 oz jar, not 1/4 oz. 1/4 oz is nothing. > > Two teaspoons or so. Jars don't come that small. > > I think you are correct. ;-) Brain cramp on my part... > > > > > Oh btw, a linguistic puzzle for the readers: most Japanese restaurants > > in Russia feature a sushi called "sepasy roll". Try to guess what's in > > it. > > > > > > > > > > I had taken one more jar of the black with me to be served on the table > > > > > with the rest of the goodies, but the host stashed it. <G> I was > > > > > amused.... and it was ok. They were good friends so I just chalked it up > > > > > to the "host gift" that I forgot to bring! > > > > > > > > > > > > > Lumpfish????!!!!!!!!!!!! > > > > > > Note I said that I'm aware that jarred Lumpfish is not in the same class > > > as fresh caviar. ;-) Sorry if I made ya nauseous or anything! > > > > > > It has fond memories. I cringe to say this, but Lumpfish caviar was the > > > first I ever had and it got me started on at least appreciating it. I've > > > since learned better but still...... > > > > > > > Try fresh salmon caviar instead. > > I don't think so... > It'd be too much like eating fish bait. > I've used a lot of salmon eggs to fish for trout in Colorado. ;-) > I used to use bread as bait. Somehow, I still eat bread, no problem... I also used small fish and shrimp as bait. And I still eat fish and shrimp though. |
Caviar (was The most expensive coffee...)
|
Caviar (was The most expensive coffee...)
ompOmelet wrote: > In article .com>, > wrote: > > > > > Try fresh salmon caviar instead. > > > > > > I don't think so... > > > It'd be too much like eating fish bait. > > > I've used a lot of salmon eggs to fish for trout in Colorado. ;-) > > > > > > > I used to use bread as bait. Somehow, I still eat bread, no problem... > > Ditto here with velveeta cheese... but there was just something about > the smell and texture of those salmon eggs! > > Are the ones made into caviar as rubbery? > No, good ones melt in your mouth under litle pressure. > > > > I also used small fish and shrimp as bait. And I still eat fish and > > shrimp though. > > I get your point. Ok, I'll psych myself into trying it next time I see > it but only if it's fresh!!! > My recommendation: start with a prestigeous sushi place, famous for freshness. That will give you a reference point. When buying in stores, make sure that what you are buying is at least as good. Fresh caviar shouldn't have any non-mild smell. It's no French cheese. It should have unbruised kernels, but the skin shouldn't be overly strong or rubbery. When you bite into a kernel, it should squirt a clean burst of fresh salmon caviar flavor in your mouth. Size is secondary, as the best salmon I have had (in the Russian Far East) was smallish, but I also had a great large one (made by my mom) here in SF. Home-salting is a bitch because you have to remove a lot of slimy pouches, but produces the freshest and low-salted caviar. > > The jarred stuff still looks like TROUT BAIT! ;-) > -- > Peace, Om > > Remove _ to validate e-mails. > > "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson > Korean cuisine? |
Caviar (was The most expensive coffee...)
|
Caviar (was The most expensive coffee...)
ompOmelet > wrote in news:omp_omelet-
: > In article . com>, > wrote: > >> No, good ones melt in your mouth under litle pressure. >> >> > > >> > > I also used small fish and shrimp as bait. And I still eat fish and >> > > shrimp though. >> > >> > I get your point. Ok, I'll psych myself into trying it next time I see >> > it but only if it's fresh!!! >> > >> >> My recommendation: start with a prestigeous sushi place, famous for >> freshness. That will give you a reference point. When buying in stores, >> make sure that what you are buying is at least as good. >> >> Fresh caviar shouldn't have any non-mild smell. It's no French cheese. >> It should have unbruised kernels, but the skin shouldn't be overly >> strong or rubbery. When you bite into a kernel, it should squirt a >> clean burst of fresh salmon caviar flavor in your mouth. Size is >> secondary, as the best salmon I have had (in the Russian Far East) was >> smallish, but I also had a great large one (made by my mom) here in SF. > > Thanks for the advice! > Now I'm looking forward to it. > http://www.springssalmon.com.au/products.htm This is the one I buy quite regularly. And having said that, I went and popped a spoonful in my mouth!! YUM!! Thanks for reminding me to finish the jar off :-) -- Peter Lucas Brisbane Australia 'Enjoy today, it was paid for by a veteran' |
Caviar (was The most expensive coffee...)
In article >,
PeterL > wrote: > http://www.springssalmon.com.au/products.htm > > This is the one I buy quite regularly. > > And having said that, I went and popped a spoonful in my mouth!! YUM!! > > Thanks for reminding me to finish the jar off :-) > > -- > Peter Lucas I doubt that I could get it shipped here... ;-) Central Market carries fresh caviar in various varieties during the holiday season. They are in Austin. I can get fish fresh enough for sushi right off the docks in Port-A, but Central market should have that as well. -- Peace, Om Remove _ to validate e-mails. "My mother never saw the irony in calling me a Son of a bitch" -- Jack Nicholson |
Green prawns and scallops..... was Caviar (was The most expensive coffee...)
Omelet > wrote in news:omp_omelet-
: > In article >, > PeterL > wrote: > >> http://www.springssalmon.com.au/products.htm >> >> This is the one I buy quite regularly. >> >> And having said that, I went and popped a spoonful in my mouth!! YUM!! >> >> Thanks for reminding me to finish the jar off :-) >> >> -- >> Peter Lucas > > I doubt that I could get it shipped here... ;-) Oh, I don't know. I could slip some in an envelope and send it over ;-P > > Central Market carries fresh caviar in various varieties during the > holiday season. They are in Austin. > > I can get fish fresh enough for sushi right off the docks in Port-A, but > Central market should have that as well. Having just got back from Sydney, one of the things I did whilst there was to go to the 'famous' Sydney Fish Markets. http://www.sydneyfishmarket.com.au/ If anyone ever goes there, don't eat at the Fish Market Cafe. $18 for 2 pieces of beer battered fish (Barra and Deep Sea Perch) was a bit much!! Especially when they had 1/2 a lobster mornay with chips and salad for $15.90!! We got our seafood from DeCosti's. http://www.decosti.com.au/home.htm A side of Barra, 1/2kg of Scallops (no shells), a slab of Sashimi(?) quality Tuna, 3 Bugs, and 1&1/2 kgs of green Prawns. I ended up showing those damn furiners down there how to cook green prawns... they thought it was the ducks guts!! LOL!! 1/2 were done plain in salted water, and chilled in the fridge afterwards, and the other 1/2 was done as garlic prawns as an entree with scallops that had been marinated in Sesame oil, a finely chopped (and deseeded) small red chilli, and some lime zest..... and then pan seared in a red hot frypan. That, along with numerous bottles of imported Belgium and German beer, after a long day of walking and shopping, *was* the ducks guts :-) -- Peter Lucas Brisbane Australia 'Enjoy today, it was paid for by a veteran' |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 06:37 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
FoodBanter