The most expensive coffee in the world, called Black Tusk, is made from coffee beans eaten and digested by Thai elephants, and costs $1,100 per kg. The exotic drink has a rich, soft taste thanks to the digestion process in the intestines of the elephant.
“When an elephant eats coffee beans, the acid in its stomach breaks down the proteins in the coffee, which gives the drink a bitter taste,” the experts explained. “The result is coffee with a very smooth taste without the bitterness of a typical drink.”
The most expensive and delicious coffee in the world is very similar to another type of coffee, Kopi Luwak, which is obtained from the excrement of musang animals. However, the elephant's stomach has a slight advantage in this regard. On average, it takes the animal about 15–30 hours to digest the coffee berries, which are simmered along with bananas, sugar cane and other ingredients in a typical elephant's vegetarian diet to create a unique, rich and fruity flavor.
This rare type of coffee can be tasted only at four resorts in the world: three in the Maldives and one in Thailand, and a cup of this drink is not cheap - $50.
Why is it so expensive? Firstly, keeping elephants in a reserve is expensive. Secondly, the elephants are fed only Thai Arabica coffee grown at an altitude of 1500 m. In addition, the elephants need to eat about 32 kg of coffee fruits to produce 1 kg of coffee beans.
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The most expensive and most difficult to produce coffee, called "Black Tusk", is made in the province of Chiang Rai, Thailand. The secret of the drink is in its unusual processing method - Arabica coffee berries are passed through the digestive tract of elephants. It’s good for both people and animals! Firstly, the working elephants are fed deliciously. Secondly, with their “labor” they themselves sponsor the creation and support of elephant veterinary clinics in Thailand. Well, they earn a lot from coffee - one kilogram costs buyers $1,100. To produce it, you need to feed an elephant 33 times more fresh coffee berries.
(Total 25 photos)
1. Niang and Linda - two wives of one husband - collect coffee beans passed through the digestive tract of elephants, Chiang Saen, Chiang Rai province, Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
2. A Lisu woman picks ripe Arabica berries at a plantation in Phrao, Chiang Rai province, Thailand. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
3. Harvesting coffee berries. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
4. Ripe coffee berries resemble cherry fruits. IN English language they are called “cherries”. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
5. Mahut (man who rides elephants) walks with his elephant in the early foggy morning. At this time, elephants eat grass in the meadows. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
6. Indian elephant used in " technological process" (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
7. Lung does rice porridge with coffee berries especially for elephants. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
8. Washed coffee beans for porridge. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
9. Rice and coffee porridge. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
10. Elephants eat their lunch, which will then become the most expensive coffee in the world. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
11. Elephants really like this kind of food. However, they also eat grass in large quantities. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
12. Brown elephant eye. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
13. A mess of porridge scattered by an elephant while eating. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
14. The founder of the Black Tusk production, Blake Dinkin, personally feeds the elephants. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
15. Return “to base”. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
16. The long-awaited litter. It takes an animal 15-30 hours to digest the berries. In this case, most of the grains (only the berry is digested) spoil, break or are lost in the grass. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
17. Lun is resting while his elephants “work” - digesting coffee berries. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
18. Collecting coffee beans from elephant dung. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
19. This extravagant method of processing coffee was taken from Indonesian colleagues who make “Kopi Luwak” - coffee passed through the digestive tract of musang. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)22. Miki Giles from Hong Kong enjoys Black Tusk with 6-year-old stud elephant Meena. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)25. An Indian elephant serving for the benefit of people and its relatives. (Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)
Another one has appeared - “elephant”, produced in Thailand. Coffee, the price of which exceeds $1,000 per kilogram, is highly valued by connoisseurs and is considered the most expensive in the world.
1. This variety of coffee is called “Black Ivory” ( Black Ivory). Its production is similar to Kopi Luwak coffee: undigested coffee beans pass through the animal's gastrointestinal tract, are treated with an enzyme that gives them a unique mild taste and aroma, and are excreted naturally.
2. Try coffee with unique taste possible in several 5-star hotels located in the north of the country, as well as in the Maldives and Abu Dhabi. For a cup of Black Ivory coffee you will have to pay 50 dollars, and if you want to buy beans, a kilogram will cost 1,100 dollars.
3. Coffee is produced in the Golden Triangle - at the junction of the borders of three countries: Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. Previously, large quantities of drugs were produced here.
4. The production of this type of coffee was established by Canadian Blake Dinkin. As he says, coffee beans When they enter the animal’s stomach, they undergo natural processing: stomach acid breaks down the protein that gives coffee its bitterness. Thanks to this, coffee acquires a soft taste and aroma that sets Black Ivory coffee apart from other varieties.
5. Elephants' large stomachs take almost 30 hours to digest coffee beans. By mixing with sugar cane and bananas - one of the most favorite delicacies of elephants - coffee acquires an amazing taste and aroma.
6. The high cost of Black Ivory coffee is explained by the fact that to produce 1 kg of coffee, an elephant must eat 35 kg of Arabica coffee beans. But even such a high price did not prevent the sale of 70 kg of coffee during the first weeks of November. In 2013, Blake Dinkin plans to produce 500 kilograms of elephant coffee.
The world's most expensive coffee, "Black Ivory" produced by elephants in Thailand, has arrived in retail trade. A kilogram of this coffee costs $1,100 US. "Black Ivory" can be bought in Tesco Lotus and Big C.
Civet coffee? Old news. New story Coffee these days is made from coffee beans processed by elephants.
According to Anantara Hotel, the best coffee beans grow at the resort in Chiang Rai, in the Golden Triangle area. In the huge elephant camp of the Anantara Hotel, a unique variety of “Black Ivory” is created from them.
Until recently, "Black Ivory" was only available at four Anantara resorts in the Maldives and, of course, in Thailand at Anantara resorts.
Currently, Black Ivory coffee is on sale in retail stores. It can be found in Big C and Tesco Lotus.
Everything has its price
Research shows that during the digestion process, elephant enzymes break down the protein in coffee beans. Since protein is one of the main factors responsible for the bitterness of coffee, low protein levels indicate a lack of bitterness. But everything has its price.
Black Ivory coffee processed by elephants sells for US$1,100 per kilogram or US$50 per cup and is one of the most expensive coffees in the world.
For comparison, civet coffee costs around US$500-600 per kilogram or US$30 per cup. Civet coffee is coffee processed by cats and produced using the same technology - the animal eats coffee beans, the proteins are destroyed during digestion.
At the Anantara Hotel, guests who order a cup of Black Ivory will see the beans harvested from which they will be served a unique drink in a traditional coffee balancing siphon.
Eight percent of all coffee sales go to the Thailand Elephant Foundation.
Process of creation
To create a unique type of coffee, 30 domestic elephants and their mahouts with their families were recruited and rescued.
The process begins with selecting the best Thai Arabica beans, which grow at an altitude of 1,500 m. Elephants readily eat coffee beans, which are excreted from the body as nature dictates. Elephant mahouts and their wives select coffee from elephant dung and dry it in the sun.
The obvious question is: isn't it dangerous to get elephants hooked on caffeine?
Anantara Hotel Director John Roberts
At the very beginning, when the idea of creating a new type of coffee arose, we asked ourselves the question: what will we do with 26 elephants who will receive coffee every morning, how we drink a cup of coffee and, if it is not available one day, we will deal with a herd of angry elephants?
But I learned that for caffeine to form, coffee beans must be heated above 70°C. So elephants do not become addicted to coffee.
The elephants that create Black Ivory coffee participate in major charity events in Thailand.
At the popular King's Cup elephant polo in Hua Hin, an elephant from Chiang Rai treated guests to his coffee
Julia Vern 54 702 0
Coffee is food product, which is consumed as a drink. Everywhere coffee is one of the most common and favorite drinks. Every day, every person’s morning begins with a cup of hot aromatic coffee; it would even be difficult to imagine the beginning of a new day without it.
Coffee trees are grown in different countries, mainly in the tropical climate zone. These trees belong to the madder family and number about 60 different species.
The grains of this product contain a large number of chemicals. The main components are:
- caffeine, about 1-2%;
- ester of caffeic and quinic acid - 5-8%;
- 1% citric acid;
- 6% carbohydrates;
- 5% mineral salts.
Regular coffee production is different different ways roasting (at different temperatures), adding impurities (which gives a particular flavor to the drink), or the type of coffee tree.
The production of the most expensive varieties of black drink has a slightly different and interesting scheme. These production methods influence the cost. valuable product. So, get acquainted with expensive varieties of coffee and their production.
The most expensive varieties are obtained from animal excrement
A leader among connoisseurs of prestigious and elite drink is coffee extracted from excrement, Kopi Luwak. The drink under this name is number one in price all over the world.
True gourmets characterize it as the drink of real kings. It has the taste of dark chocolate and a delicate aftertaste of caramel, and includes a slight vanilla aroma. Kopi Luwak is truly expensive; a cup of coffee can cost up to $100. Naturally, this is the price in countries remote from the place of production.
Kopi Luwak production technology.
Only true connoisseurs know how this drink is produced. This recipe is quite simple, and it just affects the cost. It is made, or rather obtained, from animal droppings. These animals are Chinese badgers or musangs. They look like the cartoon character Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, only gray in color. These badgers feed on coffee fruits, and they choose the ripest and largest berries, collecting them both in trees and on the ground.
A ripe coffee berry is red in color and large in size. Small green grains do not attract these animals, so they only enjoy the ripe product. Badgers can consume up to 1 kg of ripe fruits per day. What is eaten is mainly digested in the animal’s body, and only 5% does not have time to be digested and is excreted entirely.
Coffee beans, while in the animal’s body, are processed there by gastric juice and civet. After which the excrement released from the animal is collected by a person. Fruits that have not had time to digest are selected and cleaned. After a long cleaning process, they go through a drying and cleaning process, then another washing and drying process. The dried grains are lightly roasted at a certain temperature. The exact recipe for preparation and processing is unknown; its manufacturers keep it secret.
The grains are washed, cleaned and roasted several times
An interesting fact is that the grains are selected only for six months; the remaining six months they do not have the same taste. The fact is that the enzyme that gives coffee fruits a unique taste is secreted in animals for six months, but not for the next six months. Therefore, there is no point in collecting coffee produced by animals at this time. Beans from males are more valued, as they have a special pleasant aroma.
The collected grains go through a 15-stage sorting stage. And only grains without defects are packaged and sold as a whole. The rest are ground and sold crushed. This coffee is produced in southeast Asia - in Indonesia.
In Ethiopia they tried to develop the same coffee production as in Indonesia. There are also coffee trees and similar animals called civets. When tasters tried and compared these drinks, the Ethiopian version was far below the quality of the Indonesian product.
Chon coffee variety
The second expensive variety is produced in Vietnam and is called Chon. It has a slightly different taste than the product from Indonesia, no worse, just a little unusual. This variety is called an analogue of Indonesian coffee. Mostly Arabica and Robusta varieties are used, but less commonly the Katimor and Chari varieties are also used.
Chon production technology
The main participants in the production of the product from Vietnam are the Asian palm martens. They also eat coffee beans and love them very much. The technology is similar to that of Indonesian producers; grains are also collected from the droppings, cleaned, washed, and fried. The yield of whole beans from the animal's body is also about 5-7%. It is believed that the beans that come out of these animals have medicinal properties. Until recently, people considered palm martens to be pests, until they once tried to make a drink from their droppings. Now they have specially made enclosures where they keep these animals and at the same time feed them coffee beans.
Drying of beans not separated from excrement is done in the sun, after which each grain is selected, washed and dried again. After this, they move on to the frying process. Manufacturers do not disclose the temperature at which they fry.
The Vietnamese have learned very well how to combine several types of product into one, and the quality does not decrease, but only improves. This type of coffee includes the aroma of cocoa, hot chocolate, vanilla, and caramel. In general, everything is the best and necessary to get a divine aftertaste. The cost of this variety ranges from 150 to 250 dollars per kilogram.
The Chon variety is produced by Asian palm martens
Chon coffee recipe
There are two popular recipes for preparing this drink by the Vietnamese themselves.
- Condensed milk is poured into the bottom of the cup and a special filter is placed on top. A spoonful of ground beans is poured into the filter and pressed on top with a press. After that, I pour boiling water into the cup through a filter, and this produces an excellent drink.
- The second method is somewhat unusual. The procedure is the same as in the first case, only a long glass is taken instead of a cup, and ice is used instead of condensed milk. The drink is served cold as a refreshing drink in hot weather.
The Vietnamese themselves consider their drink number one in the world and say that if you try just one sip, you will never be able to refuse it.
Variety Black Ivory
Another common and expensive type of drink is Black Ivory. Translated into Russian it means “Black Tusk”. The cost of a kilogram of such grains is $1,000. He has his own special taste and the aroma is somewhat similar to the previous two, but has an original taste.
Manufactured by Black Ivory
This drink is produced in Thailand. The main producers are elephants. They are fed ripe berries from Arabica coffee trees and get almost ready-made coffee from their feces. Beans passing through an elephant's stomach are treated with the large animal's stomach acid. The acid is capable of dissolving the protein of the coffee beans, which leads to finished product the bitterness disappears. Therefore, even the strongest Black Ivory coffee will never be bitter.
Curious:
The process of digestion of fruits by an elephant's stomach takes about 30 hours. During this entire period of time, the grains are saturated with fruity aromas. sugar cane, bananas and everything that the animal is fed.
To get a kilogram of undeformed grains from an elephant's stomach, it needs to be fed 35 kg of ripe berries, while mixing them with other ingredients that are included in the elephant's diet. During eating, most of the grains are simply destroyed, another part is digested by the stomach, and only a small part comes out of the elephant without deformation.
Women are responsible for extracting grains from elephant dung; they select whole grains and then send them for drying. Drying is carried out in factories in Bangkok. In Thailand, 26 elephants are involved in the production of the black drink.
It is very difficult to buy a product of this brand, since it is sold only in some cities in Thailand.
Black Ivory is produced with the help of elephants
Other high value coffees
These varieties of dark drink are inferior in price to all of the above, but not inferior in taste.
- Coffee Yauco Selecto.
This type of coffee is obtained in the Caribbean, from Arabica beans. Coffee trees They are grown at an altitude of 100 meters above sea level, where there is an excellent climate for their growth and rich harvest.
It is not passed through the bodies of animals, so coffee has a significantly lower cost - $50 per kilogram. - Starbucks.
This drink with this name appeared quite recently in 2004. Introduced to Rwanda by Starbucks. This drink has its own distinctive aroma and aftertaste. When drinking this coffee, you feel a slight sourness with a different bouquet of spices. The cost of a kilogram of grains is 50-60 dollars. - Blue Mountain.
This type of coffee is produced in the city of Walenford, Jamaica. A distinctive feature of the variety is the absence of bitterness and mild taste; it is very popular among the Japanese population. This variety is produced traditionally. Costs start from $100 per kilogram and above.
Having considered the prices, production principles and taste characteristics of each expensive coffee, we can note that the most expensive varieties are the Kopi Luwak, Chon and Black Ivory brands. They have the same production principle, but from different manufacturers. It takes a lot of work to produce the product by passing grains through the stomach of an animal. Both of these types of coffee are popular only among the rich and affluent segments of the population.