Cat Poop Coffee

My guess is that more than one of my blog readers think that I have an unusual fascination with poop. You might be right because I do seem to write about it quite a bit. However, for this entry, it is entirely appropriate! Yesterday, Gundula and I rode to a coffee plantation about 40 minutes northeast of Ubud. Our only goal: to drink kopi luwak, one of the most expensive and supposedly best coffees in the world. In Ubud, a cup of kopi luwak goes for $25 USD. According to the research I've done, a cup in NYC can cost between $40-50.

I first heard of kopi luwak in the movie Bucket List (Jack Nicholson, Morgan Freeman...excellent movie and I'm living my bucket list right now!!). The civil cats (we saw one...kind of looks like a possum) eat the red cherry coffee beans and digest them. The locals pick the beans out of the cat's poop and proceed with processing the beans. I drank it like a man with no cream and no sugar.

I don't like coffee because of the way it made Mom and Dad's breath smell when I'd kiss them goodbye each morning on my way to school. (sorry for sharing that!! xoxo). Once I got old enough to try coffee, I realized that I just didn't like the taste. Other than my love affair with tiramisu, I don't like anything coffee flavored. The cup of kopi luwak was and will remain the only cup of coffee I ever finish. Gundula, who does drink coffee, found it very smooth and delicious. She really enjoyed it! I found it hard to get the last few drops down...you can see what was left in my cup in the picture!

At the plantation, we also sampled Bali coffee, ginseng coffee, hot chocolate, lemon tea and ginger tea. They grow their own tobacco, so I also sampled a hand rolled cigarette. It made me cough. Finally, we sampled coconut wine (45% alcohol...brutal!) and black rice wine (tasted like disgusting syrup). Aside from the absolute monsoon that we found ourselves driving home in, it was a pleasant day.

I got in my first motorbike accident a couple of days ago. I was on my bike completely still waiting for the approaching car to pass by on the narrow, bumpy road and the approaching car scraped my muffler and bent the license plate on its way. Luckily, the bike I have rented for the past week has dents and scratches all over the place so hopefully they won't notice the new ones when I return it! I was completely fine after the scrape and run. My only ailment at the moment is a heat rash that I can't seem to shake. Today, the pharmacist smartly informed me that I should stay out of the sun and heat. Good point doc.