Elephant-refined coffee may sound bizarre, but animal-refined coffee is hardly new. There’s jacu-refined coffee from Brazil, made from coffee cherries eaten by the endangered South American birds. Monkey parchment coffee is produced when Rhesus monkeys or Formosan rock macaques chew and spit out coffee cherries. There’s even bat coffee from Costa Rica, where bats nibble coffee cherries, leaving saliva that imparts a floral, fruity flavour during natural processing.
The most famous animal coffee is kopi luwak, refined by civets – small, cat-like animals native to Southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Civet coffee has been produced for decades, mostly in the Indonesian islands of Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi. Kopi luwak coffee has grown in popularity, and today, civet coffee is valued at over $6 billion globally, though ethical concerns and questions of authenticity linger. And of course, there is high-quality elephant-refined coffee from Black Ivory Coffee.
Why are animals used to make coffee?
Animal-refined coffee usually involves coffee beans that have been eaten, partially digested, and excreted by particular animals, which alters the beans’ flavour profile. With elephant-refined and civet coffee, there are two factors that improve coffee flavour: enzymes that reduce protein and bio-fermentation.
Less protein in the coffee bean means less bitterness, as found in research from Dr. Massimo Marcone, Ph.D., C.Chem, and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Food Science at the University of Guelph (Canada). Dr. Marcone studied the digestive process in Kopi Luwak coffee and found that the gastric juices in the animals’ stomachs affect the surface of the coffee beans (causing pitting), and affect proteins within the beans, which can indeed lessen bitterness. Elephants also have some enzymes that break down protein, though their true superpower is bio-fermentation.
Fermentation and flavour
Coffee typically has a bitter taste, and fermentation is a critical step that significantly improves the final brew. It’s a similar process to wine production, where fermentation converts grape sugar into alcohol. Fermentation in coffee production involves the breakdown of the mucilage (a sticky, sugary layer surrounding the coffee bean). Some producers ferment the beans after the outer skin of the coffee cherry is removed. This process can be driven by microorganisms (yeasts, bacteria, and sometimes moulds) that metabolise sugars and acids in the mucilage, altering the bean’s chemistry and enhancing its flavor complexity.
Bio-fermentation – and elephant superiority
Bio-fermentation significantly refines coffee flavour. Elephants have a much longer fermentation process than civets, resulting in a particularly pleasant and aromatic coffee.
Because elephants are herbivores, they use fermentation as the most effective method to break down cellulose in the grassy vegetation they eat. This is a major difference between elephant coffee and Kopi Luwak coffee. Civets are omnivores, so there is meat in their stomachs, and they rely more on enzymes than actual fermentation. With elephants, the long fermentation time means the coffee beans are marinated with other foods the animals eat, from the fruity flesh of the coffee cherries to tamarind, herbs and grass.
The ethics of kopi luwak vs elephant-refined coffee
The excellent treatment of the elephants at Black Ivory Coffee is a clear differentiator from some brands of Kopi Luwak coffee. Traditionally, beans were collected from wild civet droppings, but rising demand has led to intensive civet farming. While some kopi luwak coffee producers use ethical standards of production, others claim to offer ‘free-range’ coffee, but have been accused of mistreating their animals, keeping the civets in cramped, unsanitary cages, force-feeding coffee cherries, and depriving the animals of a natural diet, leading to malnutrition, stress and high mortality rates. Studies from Oxford University and World Animal Protection found that some caged civets in Bali suffer from infections, sores and psychological distress, with every plantation studied failing basic welfare standards. Captive civets may only live two or three years.
Fortunately, animal welfare and social responsibility are key values of the Black Ivory Coffee brand. We strive to work only with families who treat their elephants well. Our mahouts (elephant caregivers) look after their elephants well, with walks, baths, and nutritious food the animals love, as well as their snacks of coffee cherries. The mahouts respect their elephants and would never force-feed them (and elephants are strong – and strong-willed – enough to resist if anyone ever tried).
Authenticity and animal-refined coffee
Some civet coffee is thought to be counterfeit (ie not actually from civets), while PETA investigations have exposed cruelty and fraudulent practices in the industry, including mislabeling caged civet coffee as “wild-sourced”. By contrast, Black Ivory Coffee works with smallholder farmers and families who look after their elephants with care, with limited production each year to ensure quality, integrity and authenticity.
Do elephants or civets get a caffeine buzz?
“Caffeine is sequestered in the bean itself, limiting caffeine absorption”, says Robert Poppenga, the head of the toxicology section at the California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory at the University of California, Davis. This means you don’t have to worry about any animals getting the jitters, feeling tense or craving a jolt from their next coffee cherry.