Now I've had some s***ty coffees in my time...

Gilps · April 10, 2008

Animal dung coffee at £50 a cup

A gourmet coffee blended from animal droppings is being sold at a London department store for £50 per cup.

Jamaican Blue Mountain and the Kopi Luwak bean are used to create Caffe Raro which is thought to be the most expensive cup of coffee in the world.

Kopi Luwak beans are eaten, then passed, by the cat-like Asian palm civet, and sell for £324 a kilogram.

All profits from sales of the coffee at Peter Jones in Sloane Square in April will go to Macmillan Cancer Support.

Ripest berries

Asian palm civets, which live in the foliage of plantations across south-east Asia, are said to pick the best and ripest coffee berries.

Enzymes in their digestive system break down the flesh of the fruit before the animals expel the bean.

The beans are then collected from the plantation floor by workers who wash away the dung and roast them.

David Cooper, who created the blend, said: "These rare coffees have been slowly hand roasted for around 12 minutes to ensure that we maximise the potential of each coffee.

"The final roast colour is quite dark to ensure that the espresso is perfect for a smooth latte or cappuccino."

eth · April 10, 2008