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Civet-Digested Beans Yield $99 Espresso

Rarest cup of coffee blends Jamaican, Indonesian products

By Ambreen Ali,  Newser User

Posted Apr 17, 2008 5:19 PM CDT
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(Newser) – You might look for a $99 espresso shot in a crowded Italian café before the second floor of a London department store. Yet it's the latter where you'll find the cup brewed from two of the world’s rarest coffee beans, one of which is sniffed out and, er, digested by an Indonesian civet, the Guardian reports. But is the java foodie paradise or marketing racket?

In an era of $1,000 pizzas and a $70,000 'flawless' cocktail, the extravagance of a $99 'Caffe Raro' pales. And given the Indonesians who scour the landscape in search of the poopy prize, the result is a global adventure for the palate—with no hint of kitty litter. And the profits from this limited stock of this exclusive buzz, expected to run out at the end of April, go to a cancer center.

The civet, an Indonesian wild cat, sniffs out and digests berries that provide the world's rarest coffee.
The civet, an Indonesian wild cat, sniffs out and digests berries that provide the world's rarest coffee.   (Earth Life Forms - Animals)
De Longhi's Caffe Raro was created from two of the world's rarest beans, one from Jamaica and the other Indonesia.
De Longhi's Caffe Raro was created from two of the world's rarest beans, one from Jamaica and the other Indonesia.   (KRT Photos)
The $99 espresso is only available until the end of April, when the stock is expected to run out, and proceeds go to a cancer center.
The $99 espresso is only available until the end of April, when the stock is expected to run out, and proceeds go to a cancer center.   (Shutter stock)
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Coffeemaker challenged brewer to make rarest blend ever
Huddersfield Daily Examiner (UK)

Rareness makes civet coffee coveted
BBC

 
food • gourmet dining • coffee roasting • gourmet coffee • espresso

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