unbillable hours

kopi luwak, or, you want me to drink what?!

Link: Coffee and Conservation: Kopi luwak.

... kopi luwak, the coffee that is "processed" in the digestive tract of a civet cat (usually Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). These animals (found in southeast Asia and related to mongooses, although they look and behave a bit like raccoons) eat ripe coffee berries. Stomach enzymes have a subtle but apparently genuine chemical impact on the coffee beans, which are gathered as soon as possible after being passed by the civet, e.g., in the scat.

I happened to notice this blog, Coffee and Conservation, via Treehugger, the aptly named environmental blog.  Coffee and Conservation has a not-so-glowing review of the unusually processed coffee.  I've heard of kopi luwak for a couple of years, and generally consider it to be a bit like other gimmick foods.  It's something I wouldn't drink, much like I wouldn't eat haggis or hakarl.  (No offense to the Scottish or the Icelandic, but when even a Pole finds part of your national cuisine to be disgusting, you've got a problem.  I mean, good lord, we eat pig's feet.)  But, if you're the sort that likes to say you're badass because you've eaten mouldy shark's meat, intestine-wrapped-in-stomach, or catshit coffee, well... have at it.

Me, I'm more interested in a good brew.  Right now, that means Allegro's Kenya Grand Cru. 

Add this to the covet list.

It's hard to make good coffee while backpacking.  At the same time, backpacking presents an occasion where coffee is more desired than most other occasions (outside of law school finals).  I've seen a few options, though, that promise to work better than the traditional camp percolator or jury rigged stovetop espresso maker.  Jetboil relies on the fact that most backcountry cooking is based on boiling.  Therefore, its personal cooking system is basically a stove designed to quickly boil water within an insulated container better than most backcountry stoves do in traditional pots.  Jetboil also has a French press that fits its closed container perfectly.  Last time I checked EMS and Dick's Sporting Goods, Jetboil cost about $80.  I'm tempted to go that route, since my backpacking trip to Cape Breton proved that I need a new camping stove, but I don't necessarily want to spend the money yet.  Pressbot, found via Boing Boing, is a good option, I'm guessing, for those who want a French press but don't want to buy the Jetboil system.  It fits within a wide-mouth Nalgene bottle, with a clever folding mechanism for its press.  It's about $20, according to the website.  (PS, if either manufacturer needs me to test their product, I would be happy to make such a "sacrifice.") 

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W Hotel (Midtown)
New York, New York