Kopi Luwak Indies islands of Java and Sumatra, including Arabica coffee introduced from Yemen. During the era of "Cultuurstelsel" (1830–70), the Dutch prohibited the native farmers and plantation workers from picking coffee fruits for their own use. Still, the native farmers wanted to have a taste of the famed coffee beverage. Soon, the natives learned that certain species of "musang" or "luwak" (Asian palm civet) consumed the coffee fruits, yet they left the coffee seeds undigested in their droppings. The natives collected these luwaks' coffee seed droppings, then cleaned, roasted and ground them to make their own coffee beverage. The fame of
Civet Civet A civet is a small, lithe-bodied, mostly nocturnal mammal native to tropical Asia and Africa, especially the tropical forests. The term civet applies to over a dozen different mammal species. Most of the species diversity is found in southeast Asia. The best-known civet species is the African civet, "Civettictis civetta", which historically has been the main species from which was obtained a musky scent used in perfumery. The word "civet" may also refer to the distinctive musky scent produced by the animals. A minority of writers use "civet" to refer only to "Civettictis", "Viverra" and "Viverricula" civets. But in