Wild Kopi Luwak, the World’s Most Exclusive Coffee, Sustainably Sourced From Sumatra, Indonesia (100gr / 3.5oz) (2 pack)

I'll be up front and say that I purchased this coffee as the result of losing a bet with a co-worker. I am well known in my office for being a tremendous coffee (more accurately, espresso) snob, so my co-worker thought it would be funny to make me drink coffee where the beans had been obtained from the natural excretion of a wild feline that looks like a remarkable cross between a raccoon and a ferret. Anyway - the bet was lost, so I donated some hard earned amazon credits to purchase this "world renowned" coffee.Before delving into a description of the taste profile, I want to make one thing pretty clear to the manufacturer of this particular coffee. And that is if you are going to advertise on the package that there is 100 grams of Kopi Luwak coffee in the package, there better damn well be 100 grams of coffee in the package. At just over $100 a pound, I made darn sure to accurately measure the amount of coffee that was in the bag, and my scale read exactly 84 grams. Guess what the packaging weighed? Yep! 16 grams. Consider me pissed that I received 16% less of this exorbitantly priced gourmet product than was promised.But I digress - on to the coffee. The packaging indicates that the coffee contained therein has a noticeably low acidity, with a nearly floral taste profile. Unlike the weight indicator, that description largely proved to be accurate when I brewed multiple cups of coffee according to the directions printed on the bag. Specifically, I used a Baratzo Vario grinder to relatively coarsely grind the beans. I added 25 grams of grounds to an Espro french press along with 5oz of spring water heated to exactly 203 degrees Fahrenheit. The mixture was stirred and allowed to steep for four minutes, after which it was filtered using the built in filters in the french press. The resulting extract had a deep chocolate brown color which was only slightly transparent, with only a few extremely fine grains of coffee grounds present. The aroma was pleasant though not overly strong and, while I hate to say this, was not exceptionally different from any other type of run of the mill coffee I have smelled. The taste profile was noticeably non-acidic, and the brew had a nice velvety mouth feel that I though was somewhat unusual for coffee. The flavor was only mildly bitter, with some earthy overtones.All in all - a pretty nice cup of coffee.Now comes the big question - is this stuff worth more than $100 a pound? In my opinion (as an Educated Coffee Connoisseur), the answer is a polite but firm, no. The coffee has a nice flavor profile, but that profile is simply not unique or interesting enough to warrant spending a large amount of money to obtain, in my opinion. Apart from the noticeable lack of acidity, there is nothing to make this coffee "pop" or standout relative to other high end (but far more reasonably priced) coffees I have tasted. Put differently, it just lacks that certain Je ne sais quoi.That being said - if you have not tried Civet coffee before, it is definitely worth splurging on so that you can say that you have tasted its unique (though somewhat uninteresting) flavor profile. But I would be very surprised if all but the most die hard Prilosec patients would honestly prefer it over other, more interesting coffees.

We'll give this a 2 star, 1 star because there is NOT 100 grams of beans as stated on bag, but 100 grams INCLUDING bag. Only around 85 grams of beans. While much of the Kopi Luwak coffee is farm raised with caged civet cats, this "claims" to be from wild civet cats. How can we tell?Taste of coffee? Not impressed - I've had good Sumatra coffee that was better. I'll give it a 3 star for taste, 1 star for packaging which balances out to 2 star rating. Just one of the "bucket list" type things I wished to do. Now I can say "done it, not impressed".

No big deal. I’ve had better at the Circle K.

I was disappointed in the flavor. I had Kopi before and it was rich, deep, smooth, heavenly. This brand tasted just like any ordinary cup of coffee: not better, not worse, just a common cup of joe.

Not as great as I expected.

This particular brand of Kopi Luwak was my first. I prepared it using two different pour over methods, weighing out the coffee in grams, and carefully grinding it to taste at a medium fine ground, using water about 30-45 seconds off the boil, and using the standard 15:1 water/coffee ratio. I drank the coffee black as this is how Kopi Luwak is meant to be served.I was surprised and impressed by a flavor profile I would describe as very smooth, rich, earthy body, almost syrupy going down, and wonderful aftertaste. I would describe the smoothness as very unusual — and as for Sumatran coffee, the earthy aspect is consistent with what I know of coffees harvested in this region of Indonesia and the world.My conclusion is that this Kopi Luwak is a VERY good cup coffee when prepared well. I would purchase it again. I do not plan on purchasing it regularly.One comment: many describe Kopi Luwak as the most expensive coffee available and that may be true – this brand costs over $100/lb when you calculate the total. However, if you make a full cup using 15g of coffee, you can make approximately 7 full cups with 100 g. This comes to less than $5/cup to make at home. Is this really that expensive? Think about what you spend on a coffee drink (granted, not regular coffee) at Starbucks or your local coffee shop for a cup of coffee. I think the expensive aspect is, when you do the math, overemphasized by many. Yes, to make a cup at home it’s pricey, but if you went out for a speciality to coffee, like a caramel latte (which is gross, if you drink coffee seriously), each day of the week on your way to work or at lunch, you wouldn’t be spending any more, at least for this brand of Kopi Luwak. Consider that when you purchase Kopi Luwak. It doesn’t have to be considered as expensive as it may be, by the time a corporate or expensive private coffee shop gets done with you.No question, this coffee is worth a try and to my mind is a very good price with positive reviews compared to other brands sold on Amazon. This brand also advertises humane gathering practices, which was important to me. Easily recommended.The 4 stars is for the coffee itself. I enjoyed this coffee very much, but was not stunned into submission by it in terms of taste, profile, aftertaste. It is excellent coffee, but not so overwhelming excellent I could not live without it as a regular staple. This may have in part been due to the roasting date. It’s a great cup when prepared well.

I bought this as a gift to my brother. He said it was really good for special occasions, but not as an everyday coffee. He used a french press. He said it did not taste bitter or like poop. I will buy this again.

Kinda cool to try but honestly... not sure this coffee is worth all the rage.