The kopi luwat civet poops coffee. Or, to be more precise, it climbs to the top of coffee trees, eats the ripest beans, digests the fruity bits around the seed and, er, leaves the rest for industrious pooper-scoopers to turn into the world’s weirdest brew.
Of course, once I spied a weird old-fashioned coffee bar near Shinjuku station with a kopi luwak coffee bag in the window, there was no turning back. The shop was closed when I saw it, but I girded up my coffee tastebuds and went back the next day.
I took a deep breath, boldly went in, sat down at the counter, waved away the menu and ordered the house specialty. It was only then that I noticed that AIEEEE all that combined cat-snake and pooper-scooper effort doesn’t come cheap!
OMG, $30 for a cup of coffee? Too late to back out now, though – the coffee lady behind the counter hands me an official-looking document* to read while I’m waiting, and begins hand dripping my precious beans. By now I’m watching anxiously, really really really hoping that I don’t detect any notes of dog park or litter tray in that first sip.
Okay. This is it. The moment of truth. Grandmotherly china cup? Check. Silver spoon? Check. It looks like coffee. It smells like coffee. And…it tastes like coffee. Actually, it tastes like really good coffee. Pretty delicious, in fact. Not even a whiff of poopiness detected.
So, was it worth $30? As cups of coffee go, I’ve honestly gotta say it was good, but not THAT good. As a way to win every dinner party forever, though? Priceless!
*The certificate attests that the beans were collected ethically from wild civets, not from questionably farmed animals, which sort of explains why it’s so expensive. You know, fair trade and all, which made me feel a bit better about the crazy price.
If you’d like to visit the Tajimaya Coffeeten the next time you’re in Tokyo, it’s at 1-2-6 Shinjuku. Tip o’ the Thank You Beanie to valbemar.com for the poop photo.
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The Last Tea Bowl Thief was chosen as an Editor’s Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense on Amazon!
“Hauntingly beautiful, an instant immersion into feudal, wartime and modern Japan.” —Melissa MacGregor, author of The Curious Steambox Affair
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, produces the monthly e-magazine Japanagram, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
Only In Japan 
Love it. We visited a cat poop coffee farm in Bali last year but alas I didn’t try the goods. I do remember the days of insanely overpriced coffee here. I once tried a 2000yen cup just to find out and it was the same barn varnish horrible most Japanese coffee was before the Starbucks revolution.
It’s weird, but I thought coffee was universally awful here until Starbucks raised the bar too, but this shop and Cafe Bechet seem like they’ve been quietly hand dripping coffee in Tokyo for decades. (I do remember the bad old pre-Staba days, though, when they TRIED to make all coffee taste like instant! UGH.)
Barn Varnish, yes starbucks has made barn varnish popular. A good cup is single origin, light to medium roast, and fresh. Starbucks serves beans that have been rated up to 6 months ago. (Coffee is considered stale after 2 weeks)