Coffee lovers love to splurge on expensive coffee, and following the lucrative demand in the coffee market, unreliable coffee suppliers are now committing fraud in the name of good net profits. Today, the sought-after civet coffee is targeted for adulteration fraud. Coffee adulteration is the act of intentionally mixing inferior-quality coffee beans with superior-quality coffee beans (Lifeasible, n.d.). In short, the definition also applies to your beloved civet coffee. 

If you scroll through the search engine, you will find an intriguing fact. The ‘Civet coffee for sale’ keyword shows at least 1,390,000 results, while ‘Kopi Luwak coffee near me’ shows around 11,300 results. So there is always a chance to find fake civet coffee products. As a smart buyer, beware of false claims and do not fall easily into unreliable coffee suppliers’ traps. We are also breaking down the differences so you can purchase authentic Kopi Luwak coffee with confidence.

How is Kopi Luwak Coffee Adulterated?

Typically, coffee suppliers adulterate Kopi Luwak coffee by adding other coffee varieties (like Arabica or Robusta coffee) and blending it with a ratio of 10% to 50% (Yulia et al., 2016). For this reason, not only does the flavor substantially degrade, but the overall quality deteriorates as well. 

The coffee adulteration applies to all types of civet coffee. Be it in the forms of green coffee beans, roasted coffee beans, and even ground coffee beans (Andriansyah et al., 2021). So it is highly possible that the civet coffee or Kopi Luwak coffee you purchase from unreliable coffee suppliers is never fermented inside the Asian palm civet’s digestive system, regardless of the type.

The Authentic Civet Coffee Vs. The Adulterated Civet Coffee: What Sets Them Apart?

The adulterated civet coffee is hard to identify when it is in the ground coffee form (Waluyo et al., 2017). But there are still several determinants to identify the authentic one. The first one is color. Authentic civet green coffee beans typically have a higher level of red color hue (Marcone, 2004). So beware of civet green coffee beans that reveal bluish-green color, it is nothing more than just regular green coffee beans.

The second one, authentic civet coffee must have a diverse range of flavor notes and aroma profiles. As a specialty coffee variety, a cup of civet coffee is filled with chocolatey, nutty, herby, or caramel-like taste and aroma (Muzaifa et al., 2018), followed by a smooth aftertaste. In contrast with fake civet coffee that smells like rice and presents a bitter taste just like commercial-grade coffee. 

The last one is the shape. Authentic civet coffee beans must be identical in size. If you spot random-sized coffee beans in your coffee bag, it is unmistakably the so-called civet cat coffee beans. Either it is just a fraudulent blend of civet cat coffee beans with low-grade coffee beans or worse… There are no civet coffee beans at all.

However, an important thing to note is that these measurements are not always accurate. You might smell a rice aroma on your coffee beans, while your friend smells a chocolate-like aroma. You might think it is a bluish-green color when your friend insists that there is a reddish hue in the civet green coffee beans. Based on this reason, it is wise to purchase the civet cat coffee beans only from a verified coffee supplier that is certified by authorized organizations to avoid adulterated Kopi Luwak coffee. 

Wallacea Coffee – A coffee supplier of Wild Civet Coffee

Once you know the signs of adulterated civet coffee, it will be easier for you to find the original version. But if you are still hesitant in distinguishing the signs, it is highly recommended to choose a certified coffee supplier instead. The certificate allows you to directly inspect the quality and specifications of the wild civet coffee. 

Wallacea Coffee is a direct-trade wild civet coffee that works closely with the Indonesian government and the Gayo Coffee Protection Society Foundation. Our wild civet coffee products have also been certified by them. Based on this reason, it is guaranteed that our wild coffee Luwak is 100% original civet cat coffee without the adulteration process.