On Wednesday, we visited a coffee plantation, which was about a 30 minute drive each way. When we arrived, a man welcomed us and showed us around, explaining the different plants they grow there, such as vanilla, jackfruit, coffee, and cacao. He also introduced us to an animal called a luwak. Normally, luwaks are free range, but this one was kept in a cage and treated more like a pet.
Luwaks are nocturnal animals, so they usually come out at night because they don’t see very well during the day. While they are roaming freely, workers later collect what they leave behind during the daytime. As the coffee beans pass through the luwak’s digestive system, they ferment, and the outer layers of the bean are broken down (coffee beans actually have several layers of shell). Afterward, the beans are collected, washed, roasted, and ground to make Kopi Luwak.
We also got to taste a variety of coffees, including avocado, coconut, and Balinese coffee, along with different teas such as mangosteen, turmeric, and lemongrass. We sat outside while tasting them, enjoying the view of the rice fields and a nearby cacao tree with opened pods.