Coffee drinkers are going bananas over a brew that's made of Monkey Dung. Brits are flooding exclusive US stockists with orders for the brew, called Kopi Luwak, made from berries that have passed through the digestive system of Indonesian monkeys. Unlucky coffee plantation staff have to search through the dung to gather the bizarre "harvest" of coffee berries,which are said to emerge virtually intact.
Experts reckon the monkey business gives the drink a unique "earthy"taste, which has made it the most expensive and sought-after coffee in the world. It is in such short supply - just 500 lb of it is harvested a year - that it is virtually impossible to get hold of in Britain and has only limited availability in the States and Japan.
Experts say the brew first came to light hundreds of years ago, when explorers sampled it on the Indonesian isles of Java, Sumatra andSulawesi. The monkey - known as the Palm Toddy Cat - lives on a diet of alcoholictree sap and coffee berries. The animal is a palm civet, a dark brown tree-dwelling cat-like creature found throughout Southeast Asia. The scientific name is paradoxurus hermaphroditus.
US-based food and drink critic Chris Rubin said: "Whether it's because the intestinal juices give some special flavour or because it eats only perfectly ripe berries, the Toddy Cat's droppings produce what many say is the world's finest coffee."
Some exclusive US outlets sell Kopi Luwak for around a FIVER a cup. US Coffee supplier Mark Mountanos has snapped up 110 lb of the beans. He said: "We've had interest from all over the world because it is very hard to get hold of."
US coffee shop owner Richard Karno ordered a pound from Mark's firm - butonly after he convinced him it wasn't a joke. He said: "It's the best coffee I've ever tasted. It smells musty, but it roasts up real nice
Experts reckon the monkey business gives the drink a unique "earthy"taste, which has made it the most expensive and sought-after coffee in the world. It is in such short supply - just 500 lb of it is harvested a year - that it is virtually impossible to get hold of in Britain and has only limited availability in the States and Japan.
Experts say the brew first came to light hundreds of years ago, when explorers sampled it on the Indonesian isles of Java, Sumatra andSulawesi. The monkey - known as the Palm Toddy Cat - lives on a diet of alcoholictree sap and coffee berries. The animal is a palm civet, a dark brown tree-dwelling cat-like creature found throughout Southeast Asia. The scientific name is paradoxurus hermaphroditus.
US-based food and drink critic Chris Rubin said: "Whether it's because the intestinal juices give some special flavour or because it eats only perfectly ripe berries, the Toddy Cat's droppings produce what many say is the world's finest coffee."
Some exclusive US outlets sell Kopi Luwak for around a FIVER a cup. US Coffee supplier Mark Mountanos has snapped up 110 lb of the beans. He said: "We've had interest from all over the world because it is very hard to get hold of."
US coffee shop owner Richard Karno ordered a pound from Mark's firm - butonly after he convinced him it wasn't a joke. He said: "It's the best coffee I've ever tasted. It smells musty, but it roasts up real nice
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