Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Coffee Alamid - Philippine Civet Coffee



My family and friends know I love, no, I am crazy about coffee. I should have gotten this habit from my dad, but instead, I got it just 8 years ago from our friend, A, who would always let me taste different kinds of coffee and brews at his house every week.

It is a good thing that latest researches show that coffee is good for our health!

Nowadays, my mornings are not complete if I do not have my cup of coffee. And no instant please, only freshly brewed. No sugar, just cream.

Hubby loves tea. But he surprisingly indulges my coffee habit. He bought me a coffee siphon (upon the recommendation of friend A). He is also the one who is more adventurous in choosing different kinds of beans. While I am already happy with my home blend of Benguet and Arabica beans - medium roast.

Here is his latest coffee adventure for me - the Philippine Civet Coffee. Locally known as the Alamid.

According to an old BBC article (April 11, 2006), Philippine Civet Coffee is “one of the world’s most expensive and coveted kinds of coffee”. Only 500 kg of it are produced in the Philippines every year. Once roasted, the coffee beans sell for more than $115/kilogram.

Are you ready to find out what makes this so very rare? To quote the BBC article:

"The Philippines has recently discovered it produces one of the world's most expensive and coveted kinds of coffee. But it comes from an unusual source - the droppings of a nocturnal, cat-like animal called the palm civet.

Civets, related to the mongoose, are usually seen as pests in the Philippines and hunted for their meat. But their droppings are worth their weight in gold.

Known locally as alamid, civets are carnivorous but they also have a taste for the sweet, red coffee cherries that contain the beans. The beans pass through the civet whole after fermenting in the stomach and that's what gives the coffee its unique taste and aroma. "





Yup, you read it right. The Philippine Civet Coffee comes from wild civet droppings. During coffee season, these are gathered very early in the morning by forest dwellers who climb the mountains and pick the civet droppings on the forest floors. The coffee beans are separated, cleaned, roasted, and packed. For many many years now, the mountain people have been gathering, cleaning, and brewing these half-digested beans. It is their best-kept secret. Now that this secret is out, we have the opportunity to taste it. (This is, by the way, already exported to many countries around the world.)

The question is, will we be brave enough to try some? :D






The bottle contains whole coffee beans which we have to grind. The instruction says to use 7 gms of beans, per cup. Using coffee siphon or french press is recommended to bring out the full flavor.

I confess I have not tried this yet. :D Reviews say it has a fruity aroma, with strong, sweet, dark chocolatey taste. I promise I will try this and post my review. I am looking forward to this rare treat.


Sharing this unique coffee with A Taste of Terroir over at Anna's Cool Finds. This event features food, food products or recipes that are unique in our own area and location. Please check out her blog on January 31 for the round-up of interesting unique food, and produce around the world.

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

i guess i really am waiting for your verdict in this one... :)

Anonymous said...

This is something new to me. Coffee from civet? hmmm... I never even knew they eat coffee berries!

Jescel said...

wow, good to know that we export something that is really valuable (and rare!).. but I don't know about trying that coffee though. the fact that it's comes from an animal poop just grosses me out.. let me know your taste test goes.

Anonymous said...

I've been curious about this since I saw it on Bizarre Foods. Can't wait to hear what you think.

Ivy said...

Wow, we do learn new things everyday. Coffee from boop? I'm not sure if I would try this.

Wandering Chopsticks said...

Haha. VNese have civet coffee too and I haven't dared try it. Can't wait until you do! Then you can tell me if that hefty price tag is really worth it.

lubnakarim06 said...

Something new to me.

Chibog in Chief said...

I read and heard about this coffeee somewhere! i heard that there is a shop in manila where you can taste them! can't wait to try them! great entry you did!

TS of eatingclub vancouver said...

Oh yeah, I've heard about this. My, the labor!

Very curious to see what you think about the coffee!

Oggi said...

Me too, I love coffee and always wanted to try alamid. Where do you buy them in Makati? The hubby will be in Manila until Feb 13, I'll ask him to buy some for me. He said eew when I told him about the "processing" of alamid.:D

tigerfish said...

I've heard abt this - is it really true that this is something excreted from the civet cat?

I love coffee too but not sure if I will try that. I heard it is v expensive.

Ivy said...

Here I am again. I have an Award for you on my blog.

Soli Deo Gloria said...

Hi everybody! I always say to myself that this is the day I am going to try this coffee and then I chicken out :) Ok, ok, will definitely try this tomorrow, or next week... ha ha ha!!!

Thank you so much Ivy! I'll wear it proudly on my sidebar!!! :D

Anonymous said...

Wow I thought this was a Vietnamese thing or something. Did know the PI had this, too.

Soli Deo Gloria said...

Hi Jude! Aren't you glad we have this, too!?

Anonymous said...

it taste great even on an italian pasta with basil leaves, try it at San Fernando Pampanga there's a store there that compliments this two.

viagra online said...

Actually this coffe is made with animal poop... that's so disgusting!

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