Civet Coffee
2014-04-29 00:00:00
科學大眾(中學) 2014年2期
麝貓咖啡（Kopi Luwak），Kopi（印尼語，咖啡），Luwak是印尼人指一種俗稱“麝貓”的樹棲野生動物。麝貓咖啡是由麝貓吃下成熟的咖啡果實，經過消化系統排出體外產出的咖啡。這種咖啡，由于經過胃的發酵，別有一番滋味，成為國際市場上的搶手貨。
Civet coffee has become an international phenomenon in recent years， thanks to its exclusivity and a flavor that coffee gourmets describe as smooth， chocolaty and devoid of any bitter aftertaste. The coffee’s popularity and the high price it commands has spawned a micro-farming industry that makes previously-wild civets much like veal. The civets are caught and placed in solitary cages for years at a time and fed nothing but coffee berries， with their excrement harvested for Kopi Luwak.
Wild civets， native to Indonesia and the Philippines， naturally eat ripe coffee berries， which pass through their digestive tract nearly whole. Their excrement is gathered in the wild， and then the beans are cleaned， roasted and sold for over $100 a pound.
