A Canadian scientist claims to have proven that the world's most expensive coffee really does taste better because the beans it is produced from have been eaten and defecated by a wild cat.
The Montreal Gazette says Massimo Marcone used taste machines and humans to establish that there really is a difference in taste between Kopi Luwak beans that have and have not passed through a civet cat's digestive system.
The Ethiopian beans, which sell for more than 250 pounds per pound, are craved by coffee fanatics around the world who will often pay more than R65 for a cup of the coffee they produce.
Marcone travelled to Ethiopia to track down the beans where they are found in single lines of faeces in the wild.
"You're looking for a cappuccino. You could get a crappuccino," the University of Guelph professor said.
He says they taste better because digestion breaks down protein, and protein makes the non-digested beans bitter.
He insists there is no health risk in drinking coffee from the digested beans, as there is very little bacteria left on the beans once they are washed, and roasting destroys the rest.
His findings will be published in the Food Research International Journal in September. - Ananova.com