€60 dung coffee not to be sniffed at
Thursday, 10 April 2008 20:28A cup of coffee touted as the most expensive in the world has gone on sale for about €60 (£50).
The brew is a blend of Jamaican Blue Mountain and the exclusive Kopi Luwak bean, which is collected from cat droppings and sells for €400 (£324) per kg.
The blend, De'Longhi's Caffe Raro, was created by David Cooper, an international barista judge, and is on sale at the Peter Jones department store in London's Sloane Square during April.
Customers can choose from the usual range of coffees, including espresso, which also sells for about €60 (£50) a shot.
All proceeds are to be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support.
Mr Cooper 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.'
Kopi Luwak, or Civet coffee, is made from beans eaten, partly digested, and then expelled by the Indonesian civet cat.
Civets, who 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.
Workers collect beans from the plantation floor, wash away the dung and roast them.
