Sipping Cat-Poo Coffee

One way I stayed awake while twice driving cross-country was coffee. I drank so much during those trips and during the 2-week holiday season that I have taken the unprecented step of not drinking any for 3 days and counting. However, one item I saw back "home" in G.R. interested me. It was about a rare, expensive brand of 'poo' coffee. Here is a slightly edited version from the local rag, the Grand Rapids Press on its Jan. 1 edition (via the Gale database):

The Rockford Education Foundation [will] serve[] a rare coffee roasted from beans extracted from the excrement of the Indonesian luwak, a member of the cat family that dines on coffee berries...

The luwak poo, however, has as much to do with the beverage as moose "tracks" have to do with the ice cream. Coffee connoisseurs say the animal -- also known as the Asian palm civet -- instinctively picks the choicest fruit and imparts flavor to the bean with its stomach acid.

"The animal picks only the ripest fruit. That's all he wants. These beans are the select beans," [coffe store owner Floyd] Havemeier said. "The bean is protected as it goes through the digestive system. The acidic part of the stomach creates some unique flavors."

The brew can go for as much as $50 per cup, but will be sold at a discount Jan. 12 during the foundation's annual benefit concert. Ticket-holders for the sold-out show featuring actor Jeff Daniels can get a 5-ounce taste of Kopi Luwak (Indonesian for civet coffee) for $5. About 50 more coffee-only passes will be made available Friday for trying a $10 sample.

Only 500 to 1,000 pounds of Kopi (Indonesian for coffee) Luwak enter the marketplace each year. "You're looking at over $1,000 there," store owner Floyd Havemeier said, showing off three 1.1-pound bags of the beans. "I can't really develop a market around this because it's probably all I'll ever see in my entire life."

The coffee is being donated by Herman's Boy, a Rockford coffee shop whose owner bought the beans from missionary friends looking to fund their work in Indonesia.

My question is, what does the flavor taste like: French Roast, Colombian, French Vanilla, Cappuccino, Espresso... I have drunk cherry coffee from a Benton Harbor (SW Michigan) gas station on my journey to the Mitten State. That brand seemed too dry for me and bit too flat. Also, is the luwak coffee caffeinated? I would hope so, because the chemical dependency plays a part for most coffee drinkers. Any more info

My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger. We made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all. -- Ronald Regan Farewell Address--