World of the Bizarre

Thailand coffee made from digested beans

By T.K. Randall
December 8, 2012 ·  31 comments

Image Credit: Sandra Fenley At $1,100 per kilogram Black Ivory Coffee might seem fit only for the rich, but even those with plenty of money to spare are likely to think twice before sipping a mug of this particular brand. Produced in Thailand, the coffee is brewed from beans which have been fed to elephants and collected at the other end from their dung. The process is said to be the key ingredient in providing the coffee's unique flavor.

Workers who gather the beans are required to follow the elephants and collect their droppings in order to retrieve the precious ingredient. Many of the beans are crushed or destroyed during their trip through the elephant's digestive system which increases the difficulty and costs of producing them. "When an elephant eats coffee, its stomach acid breaks down the protein found in coffee, which is a key factor in bitterness," said Blake Dinkin who invented the brew.[!gad]At $1,100 per kilogram Black Ivory Coffee might seem fit only for the rich, but even those with plenty of money to spare are likely to think twice before sipping a mug of this particular brand. Produced in Thailand, the coffee is brewed from beans which have been fed to elephants and collected at the other end from their dung. The process is said to be the key ingredient in providing the coffee's unique flavor.

Workers who gather the beans are required to follow the elephants and collect their droppings in order to retrieve the precious ingredient. Many of the beans are crushed or destroyed during their trip through the elephant's digestive system which increases the difficulty and costs of producing them. "When an elephant eats coffee, its stomach acid breaks down the protein found in coffee, which is a key factor in bitterness," said Blake Dinkin who invented the brew.

Source: Daily Mail | Comments (31)

Tags: