Kopi Luwak aromatic civet coffee spread from locals to Dutch plantation owners and soon became their favourite, yet because of its rarity and unusual process, the civet coffee was expensive even during the colonial era. "Kopi" is the Indonesian word for coffee. "Luwak" is a local name of the Asian palm civet in Sumatra. Palm civets are primarily frugivorous, feeding on berries and pulpy fruits such as figs and palms. Civets also eat small vertebrates, insects, ripe fruits and seeds. Producers of the coffee beans argue that the process may improve coffee through two mechanisms, selection and digestion. Selection occurs as the
Kopi tiam is lighter in colour than normal coffee beans that uses sugar – hence the name 'white coffee'. Kopitiams in Indonesia are very similar to those in Malaysia or Singapore. Originally run by local Chinese people, they can be found in many residential areas. Old-fashioned kopitiams are usually located at shop houses, and often have a quite run-down appearance. The term kedai kopi or warkop (which stands for warung kopi) is more often used. More recently, modern kopitiams have emerged, and can be found in many shopping malls, particularly in big cities such as Jakarta, Medan, Batam and Surabaya. These attract