Coatis make great coffee!
In Peru, there is an adorable animal that looks like a cat, racoon or monkey – called the coati or uchunari. Besides being cute, these animals, like all animals – poop. However, this coati poop is especially sought after, as it is the key to making Peruvian poop coffee.
What? Some coffee producers in Peru have turned to coatis in order to make a unique type of coffee. When coffee cherries ripen and turn red they attract a variety of wild animals. Amongst them is this small, long-nosed relative of the racoon, the coati.
Peruvian Poop Coffee
These animals are fed coffee cherries along with other fruits, by coffee growers. Unable to be fully digested by the coati’s digestive system, the coffee cherry is partially broken down by enzymes. Then the natural happens.
Workers carefully wash and dry this product, then mill it to extract the bean, which is then roasted. Once this process is complete, all that remains are the beautifully scented coffee beans, ready for consumption! Firsthand reports say this coffee is almost devoid of bitterness, yet is still full-bodied with tastes of various jungle fruits.
The South American Kopi-Luwak
Thanks to certain movies you have probably heard about the Indonesian poop coffee, Kopi-Luwak. This coffee is made in a very similar process, however using a Civet instead of a Coati. Reuters did a fantastic article about this new South-American trend.
Where to buy this treat?
This coffee is definitely expensive and sells for about $20-$60 per kg. You can find it in specialty coffee shops in the Cusco region. Looking to meet a Coati yourself? Find them in the forests near Pisac, Peru.
Our Peru and Machu Picchu Tours will certainly take you there!