Rare Coffee Battle: Geisha Coffee vs Kopi Luwak 

Originally, Kopi Luwak had nothing to do with animal exploitation. It was all just a coincidence that some people found Civets dungs in the middle of the jungle in Sumatera, with coffee beans in it and then tried to brew it, and somehow people found out that the taste was very good. Why is it already expensive back then? well can you imagine, finding natural Civets dungs in a vast jungle? no one had the idea of putting Civets in cages at that time. The good taste and the difficulty to find these “naturally” processed beans created such narration which helped boosting the price. But, doesn’t it sound amazing, that nature already provide us with green beans which are ready for roasting? The wild civets do really eat coffee berries by the way. Of course, people then came up with the idea on how to catch up with the high demand and high price. This, unfortunately, created bad practices and thus a bad image for Kopi Luwak, as people started to exploit the Civets. Some people put the Civets in cages and force them to consume coffee berries. I have a friend who comes from Sumatera. He knew a Kopi Luwak “harvester” who still hunts the dungs in the jungle. Of course that takes a lot effort, money and time. But what really sad is that, the high prices that they established long time ago, enjoyed then by people who produce Kopi Luwak by exploiting Civets. This is what happen in some regions, which don’t have the phenomenon, wild Civets eating coffee berries. If only most people care about the history, and how things are developed, Kopi Luwak wouldn’t easily be judged as animal exploitation, which thus affecting those honest and hard working harvesters I mentioned before, as people started campaigning on banning Kopi Luwak. Of course, the bad practices aren’t to be tolerated and I strictly against such exploitation. What should be done is banning only those bad practices, and on the other hand encouraging the nature friendly process as well as increasing the quality of the coffee itself.

Thank you Alex for appreciating "Kopi Luwak" from Indonesia and made an honest review about it.. we all know that it's a trend couple years ago, but above all that.. it's also really an Indonesian coffee that has become our culture. Thanks again, "Salam Kopi" from Indonesia 🙏

back in the day Kopi Luwak are have many issues about environment, animal abuse etc, same as what people most say. In past Kopi Luwak are about history and about Indonesia coffee in era colonialism. Most Indonesia coffee now are good and exotic as same as Kopi Luwak itself, so if you want taste good Indonesia coffee in term Specialty you most buy from local roaster or buy from overseas roaster which have good coffee from good coffee producer.

First of all, as an Indonesian, I'm impressed that Dabov could find luwak green bean and roasted it beautifully. Second, I appreciate your kindness not to be blunt honest about the taste. Cause I know that was bad. Luwak was way before 3rd wave, so, no traceability. Nothing. Specialty industry in Indonesia never talk about luwak unless to joke around. Thanks to bring this topic.

There's actually a group of researchers from a local university(Institut Teknologi Bandung) who managed to replicate the civet fermentation industrially with bioreactors, making it more economical & ethical. They just don't want to market it as "affordable/ethical civet coffee alternative" because they're afraid of destroying the existing market Now imagine Geisha coffee going through the same process...

What if these cats swallow Geisha beans?

Thanks for the vid, really informative

Just tried the same experiment when i traveled to Taiwan,, geisha is way more complex,, but the kopi luwak is so smooth though,, but man, that price tag on my cup of coffee is hard to swallow,,

awesome battle. thank you.

Wow, I really need more video like this. Very enjoy

Personally, wild koffi luwak from Indonesia has amazing 3D scent and taste, one of my favorite coffee.

Hiyah Ales, quick question about the cupping section of the video. Do you know how many clicks you turn on the commandante when you grind coffee for cupping?

it's also very rare, because the civet is wild, they can choose the best coffee bean

What grind size on the commandante is recommended for cuppings?

Tx for this video can you please tell me more about the roast what was it like?

Now let we fed those panama coffee berries to the civets for amazing mindblowing shocking soda result

You can visit the coffee plantation in Bali and have it fresh! Pretty good.

“One of the best Indonesian coffee we ever tasted” and “preferable in blind tasting” but somehow the presenter presented it in almost always negative tones. I would say he had strong negative presumption on the coffee. Wonder why?

Thank you

Panama’s geisha coffee just set a new record in Dubai: Panama’s Ninety Plus coffee company set a new record $10,000 per kilo ($4,535 per pound) in September 2019. Wow!!! I’m not a coffee drinker but as a Panamanian I’m proud for my country. And it didn’t come at the cost of animal abuse. Viva Panamá 🇵🇦.

how many C40 clicks you used for cupping?

So guys, instead of kopi luwak, we had tons of good single origin here in Indonesia, to name a few. Gayo Wet Hulled, Halu Banana, Argopuro, etc. So to think that indonesian coffees are more chocolatey and spicy tasting are (like some ppl in the comments think) kinda unfair. Sorry for my my bad english btw

you should compare it apple to apple .... this geisha and luwak must passing on selecteds green bean (it mean zero deffect), have same post-harvest proses (natural, semi wash, wash, etc), roast it with same rosting profile and roast it with same coffee roaster, and brew it with same barista with same method... actually what I have read or heard or watch coffe in this case have point of theirs... like farmer (variety, MDPL, etc) have point (1-100) has 60 point, the coffee Roaster (developing taste) has 30 point, and the last is the Barista has 10 point. So, if you look back carefully roasting profile of kopi luwak more darker than geisha am I right and you try to compare it?? I thing it's not fair (sorry). I,m From Indonesia and I proud of Indonesia Specialty Coffee maybe the most Varition Coffee in the world... Why? Because We are Archipelago Country, and each Island have their own Specialty Coffee because We have 2 Ring of Fire Passing Us and make it so Unik.... I suggest u must try coffe from different Island, if I may recomended you not ussual Indonesian Coffee that world already know like Aceh Gayo or Mandheiling, etc maybe u should try this 8 Big Island in Indonesia . coffee name based where the was Planted (can be village or region) 1. Sumatera Island = Kerinci (West Sumatera) Sumendo (south Sumatera) 2. Java Island= Puntang (West Java), Garut (West java), Ijen (Central Java) 3. Kalimantan Island = Samarinda, Banjar (robusta), bati-bati (liberika) 4. Flores Island = Bajawa, Yellow Catura 5. Bali Island = Kintamani, Bedugul 6. Sulawesi Island = Toraja, Enrekang 7. Sumbawa Island = Tepal, sembalun 8. Irian Jaya Island = wamena, maonemani, jayawijaya thats some coffee I has taste and I posibbly write LOL. :) there so many variation for example on Java Island more than 100 variety (my guess) Sorry I comment too long and my poor english Thanks Note: May be U can make chanel Indonesian Coffee Trip 'LOL

Does geisha taste justify the price?

How much is a cup of Sakura coffee?

As you said, coffee is valued not only because of the taste and aroma, which can differ from ppl to ppl, but also because of its stories. Before, Luwak's main story was about some oppressed and exploited ppl from the global south finding way to taste that heavenly cherry their master were drinking: by observing how nature works and bold action. Basically, human ingenuity to gain access in the most dire place. But now, its more about the exploitation of animals. Logically, if the coffee is well sourced (no animal exploitation and traced origin) there shouldn't be any problem on paying a little more for an "okay, good" coffee that actually has an interesting one of kind history.

Kopi luwak is a just soft coffee But expensive ._. Only drink when have extra money

I'm having a wonderful cup of Geisha coffee at this time 😂 it's excellent. I had a Kopi Luwak earlier this week and I agreed with you. ❤

What other coffee is the closest taste to geisha coffee in specialty coffees

Even animal ingested and processed beans have controversy.

The kopi Luwak is famous because the coffee is very smooth, all the harsh and bitter found in normal coffee get destroyed by the process of the enzyme in the civets stomach.

What about kopi luwak made from geisha? Is it possible?

Kopi Luwak from Brno aint good enough? :D Its 50g for 890,- CZK (35 EUR)as far as I know (for Arabica, Robusta is slightly cheaper).

35 dollars and not in a vacuumed bag? Come on

Are you from Dutch ?

Just to add as Indonesian, nowadays too many fake Kopi Luwak, even in Indonesia. The should be coffee not produced in natural order but by feeding the civet in the cage. And like many Indonesian said, the variety also different. Even for us Indonesian, it's pretty hard to distinguish the original one, unless you go to the right place and meet the farmer that collect those *ehem* from the jungle (not from cage). For me it's just so-so ... but yeah, the name and added this and that made it expensive, I wouldn't denied that.

I had the lucky chance of tasting the Geisha Coffee in every morning for an entire year, which was brought directly from Boquete, Panama; and this without spending any penny. All this happened thanks to my aunt who was a direct seller-agent from one of companies who produces Geisha Coffee, here in Panama. Sadly, those magical mornings ended abruptly cause she got laid off for being old already. Damn, I really miss the Geisha flavor on my everyday mornings ;/

BUT IT'S 40G OF COFFEE ONLY AND IT'S 35€ ...

Viva Panamá!!

I visited coffee plantations in Java in the 70's. They would have half a dozen Luwuk in cages. Unprocessed cherries from various crops were stamped on the seeds and then presented to the Luwuk. Those that were chosen by the animals were labeled 'passed by luwuk' and this had nothing to do with the digestion process 'improving' the product. It is sad to see how this industry has developed, and I would encourage all coffee enthusiasts to boycott Kopi Luwuk.

Please tasting experimental procces coffee from indonesia

As an Indonesian the price of kopi luwak is over priced

I believe that one is caged luwak

*Luwak white coffe paswordnya?*

Dear coffee lover....so many classes in "kopi luwak" from the cheapest one to the "best". As this video said... variety depends. I don't know the currency ratio, but there is one about IDR 10,000,000.00 yes, ten million rupiah per kilo and there is 500,000.00 not even a million rupiah. So huge difference in taste and price. Now...you got the idea. Lucky for you to taste the "best" one. But so many said they are the best. I even had tasted a million rupiah for a glass of kopi luwak. Surely never forget the tasted. But I had tasted the one that only cost you 25,000 rupiah, not even 1 % of the other price. Difference? I almost puke if I do not have my manner. So good luck...😁

👍

how about if I tell you that I just got a 100g luwak coffee for less than 10$? I'll soon try brewing it.

Did you actually pay for that? Are you not encouraging that industry?

How lucky i am.. i could get 1kg for 29 euro here!! XD

What are those glasses??

I never get consistent and tasty kopi luwak in my life because the civets is mostly forced fed not wild

What’re your guys’ opinions on Jamaican blue mountain coffee? Ever tried it before?

What is the meaning of "the taste was full of fruit"?

You should really go for java halu, one of Indonesia's best coffee (personal preference)

I thought Geisha coffe is from japan

Panama Geisha coffee 👌

Geisha all the way!!!!

Thank you about a Coffee produced in Panama, I can not buy it here neither

You have to try gunung halu coffee from indonesia

It is so sad that animals are being exploited in this way in the 21st century. It's so useless and cruel. (okay, I'm not objective, since I'm vegan) But thank you for this test which shows how little interest there is in the Kopi Luwak.

for me coffee same in the world, but i still like milk , wkwk

geisha de 🇵🇦 🇵🇦 Panamá es el mejor

To compare Panama Geisha with . Kopi Luwak is to go from the sublime to the ridiculous To say . Kopi Luwak comparable with other Indonesian coffee is a very low bar, Indonesia infamous for poor quality coffee, but irrelevant when we consider the cruelty inflicted on civet cats. No one should be engaging in this vile trade and anyone who does named and shamed and driven out of businesses. Shy nocturnal forest creatures kept in battery cages and force fed coffee beans. A vile trade in animal cruelty that no one should support. The animals are fed on a restricted diet of poor quality coffee beans, they are diseased and malnourished, their life span short. De-clawed, their feet and face cut and shredded as they try to escape from their wire cages. In the wild they live on a varied diet. Subject to stress by insensitive tourists for that must have selfie of their expensive coffee. One of the beneficial side effects of coronavirus it may have put out of businesses the coffee shops and the farms that supply them when there is no tourist income. Why is European Coffee Trip promoting this vile trade in animal cruelty? No reputable coffee roastery would be trading in Kopi Luwak. Drift no 9 Bali edition has an excellent account of the vile Kopi Luwak trade. keithpp.wordpress.com/2021/01/30/is-really-expensive-coffee-a-ripoff/ .

I had to try Luwak. Tried it twice, both times - nothing special. Not worth the price and you can get way better coffees for such a price. And I always ask people not to buy it as I saw animals in a farms itself. They are not treated well.

As Indonesian, i could said kopi luwak is just an expensive coffee, nothing special about it And u could get similar taste profile from Bandung's famous Kopi Aroma (they sell 8 year aged sumatra coffee) at price of $3 a pack of250gr

Reviewing Kopi Luwak in Aug 2019 is not relevant anymore to specialty coffee enthusiast. You could find more interesting coffee producer from land of Java or Aceh highland. But probably gonna hard to get these, because domestic demand is also high.

"your perspective"

Geisha Coffee, meh? Luwak Coffee is the best 🤑😎

I had Kopi Luwak in Bali, Indonesia. It was the first time I could drink coffee straight, black without sugar or cream. It is the smoothest, best tasting coffee with absolutely NO bitterness. In fact my icon is the actual cup that I drank. Real kopi luwak is definitely worth it. The only thing I worry about is where it's sourced. I bought some from the plantation I was at because I could see where it came from. But I worry about buying more from other sources because I don't want to promote caging civets. So I go without, until I return to Bali next time.

Kopi Lewak wasn't interesting at all when I tasted it to be honest...

Its just coffee 😂😂😂

Geisha better than luwak (?)

Natacane v brne :) a titulky nepridané :( Inak pekne video .

I think it says a lot that blind tasting still had the Kopi Luwak being picked over the gesha. I'm by no means a fan of the idea of drinking poop coffee, but the prejudice that the specialty coffee scene has against it tends to be without sufficient context. There are many different factors that can make Kopi Luwak not as good as "legit" specialty coffee, including the fact that the coffee beans themselves were simply not farmed with the same care that specialty coffee tends to get. It's to say that rather than just dismissing the entire idea, it's more intellectually honest to recognize that the concept itself of processing coffee through the digestion of civets can be made both more ethical and more artisanal than the cash grab industry that currently dominates this style of coffee. Only given this can we really make the fair argument whether such a process really produces a "good" tasting cup of coffee. It's like James Hoffman hosting the video by Brazillian farmers growing, processing, and roasting robustas with a specialty mentality. It shows us that perhaps we just haven't seen this process done right, rather than completely dismissing it offhand from current products, when in the first place it was never a fair comparison to expect commodity robustas to stand up to specialty arabicas, when they're just not being compared on equal playing fields. The snobbery agaisnt robusta has been accepted as gospel for years since the third wave, and we're rightly seeing now that maybe there really is room for it in specialty coffee. This is basically to say that maybe we shouldn't throw out the baby with the bathwater when it comes to Kopi Luwak, you know?

隔靴搔痒

in my opinion this test is useless. becoz it filtered. use french press to brings out all the original taste of coffee without being filtered. and I say this is not because I am Indonesian. but I understand what I'm saying. because I am a coffee lover. that's just fair.

and all you need to know. Luwak coffee it does not mean real civet coffee. today many sellers use pet civets that are forced to eat coffee or they are starving. So I do not believe that Luwak coffee exists and there are many nowadays 🤣 because everyone knows the price is expensive so yes it is very unlikely that you will find it in the wild (this is actually civet coffee).

Please learn history before blaiming kopi luwak

kopi luwak is a joke. its overpriced without any merit.

Because coffee is considered as valuable commodity during colonialism era. So, local people only able to drink coffee which already eaten by Luwak. Yes, the original Luwak coffee originated from sh*t.

Kopi literally tastes like shit.

That grind didn't look very consistent...

Hekko

Bangga dengan Kopi LUWAK...tapi tidak bangga dengan "pembuat" kopi LUWAK. Kopi LUWAK ya dibuat oleh Hewan LUWAK...itu saja. Sudah rusak nama Kopi LUWAK krn alasan eksplotasi bisnis. dari video di atas SUDAH SANGAT NYATA RAS KOPI LUWAK SDH LAIN.

Who is the one who came up with the idea to brew someone's poop?

As Indonesian I can confirm that Kopi Luwak 's high price is just for its story. Taste wise nothing special, its dull, and yes animal abuse where Luwak (chivet) can't afford to live in a cage. So guys, let's cancel Kopi Luwak.

in indonesia, u must try puntang coffee or puntang wine. dont try luwak coffee because not good. btw luwak coffee from south sumatra, especially from lampung

Its all about the money comodity...all perspective can change if we dont see with our self ..watch with ourself eyes...so luwak or geisha...for me its just a product..about taste..let the citizent taste it..peace

Don't drink Kopi Luwak or even buy it, just let it die.

Gesha coffee is overrated. The price isnot worth the taste

It looks like you got something up your A that doesn't want to come out. Did the coffee help?

Here in the Philippines, local civets in mindanao are considered pests by farmers because they kill pet chickens and attack children, because of that they are being hunted in the past to be eradicated and eaten. When they discovered about Civet coffee however, instead of hunting them to be killed, they domesticated the farm pests and treated them like TRUE PETS. They are fed with best crops and there are no reports of animal abuse anymore towards this animal. That's why i dont get it where these "unethical and abusive" connotations towards the coffee. If not because of this industry, Wild Civets ("Alamid" in our language) will be an endagered species right now. I dont believe in your "testing" because i can clearly see the bias in there. If only Kopi Luwak was in a "glorified" light, i bet you will change your tone. Although i understand that you guys are protecting your reputation, this video is really biased for me, you guys should have researched more about its history i guess.

give the civet geshia coffee to eat. then make geisha luwak coffee to make it more expensive

Im from Indonesia , i like luwak 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Please do not purchase, drink or promote kopi luwak. It is extremely unethical and cruel.