World's Costliest Coffee

Most of us cannot imagine starting our day without a cup of coffee. A steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee is certainly the best possible way to start the day. Sipping coffee with your friends is considered one of the best ways to start a conversation. An enthusiast might also know that Brazil is the world's largest producer of Coffee (at 34% of total produce) and that India is among the Top 5 coffee producers in the world.

But, have you ever spared a thought as to which might be the costliest coffee in the world?

Forget the rich Arabica (believed to be the first species of coffee to be cultivated in Yemeni mountains) and Robusta (another variety grown in Central and Western Sahara) or even the Kopi Luwak (Civet Coffee described in detail below) – the Costliest Coffee Bean on the stands is.. believe it or not.. the elephant dung variety produced and marketed by a resort in Thailand.

Yes.. you read it right.. :)
This animal.. 

is fed with this..

and poops out this...

from which the digested coffee beans are processed.. :)

Arguably, Black Ivory Coffee or the elephant dung coffee offered by a Resort/Group of Hotels in Thailand is the Costliest Coffee in the world. It is made from beans eaten and digested by elephants living on a reserve in Thailand. When animals pass the beans in their excrement, they are harvested, cleaned up and processed into coffee grinds. The resulting brew is said to be floral and chocolaty, the taste containing notes of 'milk chocolate, nutty, earthy with hints of spice and red berries.'

Research indicates that during digestion, the enzymes of the elephant break down coffee protein. Since protein is one of the main factors responsible for bitterness in coffee - Lesser protein means  lesser bitterness.

This exquisite coffee costs the adventurous drinker a good  $1,100 per kilogram. That's roughly about 50$ for a cup of coffee. For the sake of comparison Kopi Luwak (or Civet Coffee) is priced about $750 per kilogram in a New York shop.

History of Coffee from Animal Poop
Of course, the notion of roasting pooped-out beans isn't a new one. Kopi Luwak (or Civet Coffee), a Southeast Asian brew made from coffee berries passed through the digestive tract of an Asian palm civet was the first of its kind and was crowned as the costliest coffee in the world till the elephant poop variety was introduced.

Origin of Kopi Luwak is an interesting story in itself. In the early 18th century the Dutch introduced the coffee plantations in Java and Sumatra (Indonesia) which was their colony then. Coffee was an expensive drink then, only for the elite and naturally the plantation workers and natives were prohibited from picking coffee fruits for their own use by their Dutch masters. Natives desparately wanted to taste the famed coffee beverage. 

As the saying "Necessity is the mother of inventions" - the natives learned that certain species of Civets (known as Chirathe Bekku in Kannada)

consumed the coffee fruits and  they left the coffee seeds undigested in their droppings. 

The natives collected these Civets' coffee seed droppings, then cleaned, roasted and ground them to make their own coffee beverage. The fame of aromatic civet coffee spread from locals to Dutch plantation owners and soon became their favorite, yet because of its rarity and unusual process, the civet coffee was expensive even in colonial times. 

This is because the Civet is likely to look for Coffee berries that has a quite good quality, naturally riped and sweet as their food. With a sensitive sense of smell, the civet will pick truly riped optimal cherries as food, and thereafter, the beans those are still hard skin protected will come out with undigested civet droppings. This happens because the civet has a simple digestive system, so hard foods like coffee beans is not digested.

 

Science behind it

A Civet eats the berries for their fleshy pulp. In the digestive tract, the civets' proteolytic enzymes seep into the beans, making shorter peptides and more free amino acids. Passing through a civet's intestines the beans are then defecated, keeping their shape. After gathering, thorough washing, sun drying, light roasting and brewing, these beans yield an aromatic coffee with much less bitterness.
 

Poop Tea is not far behind

In fact, Coffee isn't the only beverage to get into the dung business. Earlier this year, there were reports that a Chinese businessman announced that he planning to sell organic green tea grown with panda dung for more than $200 a cup. (though there are no confirmed buyers till now)

Next time when you are offered this exquisite coffee in Thailand or Indonesia...you know what to expect !!!

The Splendor of Autumn - Fall Colors at New Hampshire

Autumn (or the Fall) season marks the transition from Summer into Winter. It is the season of primary harvest. Its better to describe in the words of English romantic poet John Keats. First part of the poem goes like this..

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun

Conspiring with him how to load and bless

With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;

To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,

And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;

To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells

With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

Keats metaphorically represents Autumn as the one who conspires, who ripens fruit, who harvests, who makes music, involved with the promotion of natural processes, growth and ultimate maturation. Within the poem, autumn represents growth, maturation, and finally an approaching death. There is a fulfilling union between the ideal and the real.

Every autumn we revel in the beauty of the fall colors. The mixture of red, purple, orange and yellow is the result of chemical processes that take place in the tree as the seasons change from summer to winter.

During the spring and summer the leaves have served as factories where most of the foods necessary for the tree's growth are manufactured. This food-making process takes place in the leaf in numerous cells containing chlorophyll, which gives the leaf its green color. Along with the green pigment are yellow to orange pigments, carotenes and xanthophyll pigments. Most of the year these colors are masked by great amounts of green coloring.

In the Autumn or Fall season, the Chlorophyll Breaks Down, because of changes in the length of daylight and changes in temperature, the leaves stop their food-making process. The chlorophyll breaks down, the green color disappears, and the yellow to orange colors become visible and give the leaves part of their fall splendor.

At the same time other chemical changes may occur, which form additional colors through the development of red anthocyanin pigments. Some mixtures give rise to the reddish and purplish fall colors of trees such as dogwoods and sumacs, while others give the sugar maple its brilliant orange.

The autumn foliage of some trees show only yellow colors. Others, like many oaks, display mostly browns. All these colors are due to the mixing of varying amounts of the chlorophyll residue and pigments in the leaf during the fall season.

The best thing about Autumn is that, it is the time of the year where every leaf in the tree becomes a flower. The entire tree looks like one big flower. The Fall Colors are absolute delight and feast for the eyes..

As it is said that "A picture is worth a thousand words".. I'd like to share a few snaps from my visit to the New England region in the United States..White Mountains, New Hampshire to be precise..


Lake Chocorua
A picturesque lake in the northeast New Hampshire. It is noted for its serene setting with little or no development surrounding it and for its stunning views during fall season. There is very little human development mainly due to the conservation easements i.e. per law the landowners are required to preserve the forested buffers that surround the lake.

The below snaps were taken just before the sunset. The lighting was perfect and the first photograph happens to be one of my favorites.

North Conway Railroad Station
Built in 1874, the North Conway Railroad Station served as the northern terminus for the Conway Branch of the Boston and Maine Railroad.

By the middle of the 20th century, the use of passenger rail declined sharply, and passenger service to Boston ended in 1961. The building was abandoned for several years until The Conway Scenic Railroad reopened the station in 1974 for seasonal train excursions within the Mount Washington Valley. The railroad station became a National Historic Landmark in 1979.

The building now houses a gift shop and ticket booth for the scenic train rides.

A Tree @ the North Conway Station Complex

Mount Cannon
Mount Cannon at 1240 metres is one of the tallest peaks in the Franconia Notch region of the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Below snaps were taken from top of the Mount Cannon and the Aerial Tramway on the way up to the summit.

 

The entire hillocks surrounding the region appears colorful..

..as though somebody has sprayed random colors..Look at the various blue shades at the top of the photo, followed by yellow/orange/pink colors covering the hills and ending with the green shades at the bottom right side..not to forget the highway (I-93) that passes through the Franconia Notch region..

Fall Colors at Lake Echo..

This photo was taken from the Aerial tram on the way back to the foothills.

Kancamagus Highway
Kancamagus Highway, named after an native indian tribe leader who ruled southern New Hampshire, is one of the most famous National Scenic Byway in the United States. It is known for its views of autumn foliage and is a popular drive in September and October for so-called leaf peeping tourism. It is a 34 mile long two-lane road that runs east through the west from North Woodstock to Conway in the White Mountain region of New Hampshire. The entire stretch is devoid of any human development. You won't find any Fuel bunks or restaurants. There are a few camping grounds for enthusiasts.

The highway lives upto its reputation of being the best route in New Hampshire for leaf peeping tourism. Rain or shine, tourists flock during the months of September and October to catch a glimpse of brilliant colored fall foliage. Visitors are greeted with deep forest smells of pines and changing leaves.

A few snaps taken along the Kancamagus highway with its vibrant fall colors...

The Swift river which flows all along the Kancamagus Highway..this is also one of my favorite snaps from this collection..

A few more clicks of the vibrant fall colors..

Fall Foliage - Across White Mountains, New Hampshire