Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
"Cat Poo" Coffee Goes For $30 a Cup
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Jul 27, 2010
Modified Jul 27, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jaya Saxena
Published Jul 27, 2010
Modified Jul 27, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Sure, that $12 cup of coffee might make you a connoisseur in some circles, but you can't really call yourself a coffee expert until you've gulped down $30 worth of the finest feline feces known to man. Known as "Kopi Luwak," the Indonesian brew is made by roasting the beans eaten and excreted by the cat-like Civet. Seriously.
"Coffee consultant" Michael Peter tells the Daily News that the Civet's stomach acids produce an extremely smooth brew, which can run up to $400 for a pound for the beans. Only about 500 pounds are produced a year. But even Peter isn't buying this, ahem, crap. Upon actually tasting it, he said, "I try to be partial, but when I think where it comes from, I can smell the feces." A random taste-tester from Williamsburg put it bluntly: "It's heavy. It's like, 'Dude you just crapped in my coffee.'"
But New Yorkers are eating it up anyway. Porto Rico in the West Village has been ordering it about once a week, and it even comes in a beautiful wooden box. But why pay that much when you can get poop in your coffee at any of your local sporting events?
Tagged
cat poo coffee
civet
coffee
Jaya Saxena
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Sep 12, 2026
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
Is it worth the high price and ridiculous wait? Gothamist needed to find out.
By
Sonia Rao
Food
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
Is it worth the high price and ridiculous wait? Gothamist needed to find out.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Can a congressional candidate's dumpling diplomacy win over Queens’ immigrant communities?
By
Caroline Shin
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .