I love coffee as much as the next guy. I frequent Starbucks each morning and usually buy a pound or two of good quality beans each week for home. I would say that I am willing to pay for good coffee, within reason. However, there is coffee out there that I would decline to buy…or even taste for that matter.
The Palm Civet, despite being classified as an omnivore, is a extremely picky eater, who apparently enjoys its coffee as much as I do. It has been observed that it selects only the finest coffee cherries that are at their peak of ripeness and flavour.
As the Civet is only interested in the outer portion of the coffee fruit, it allows the pit, which contains one or two coffee beans, to pass through its digestive tract in one piece. Like the common house cat, this little animal empties its bowels in the same spot every day.
Coffee plantation workers are charged with the responsibility of running their fingers through the Civet's feces in search of the pit, which are then washed (thankfully) and roasted and guess what…
…sold at an incredible $200 per pound.
How much do you really love coffee!!
