London Store Sells 'Cat Poo' Coffee for Charity | Gimundo

London Store Sells ‘Cat Poo’ Coffee for Charity

In London, a unique blend of "cat poo" espresso is selling for £50 a cup, with all proceeds going to charity.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on April 14 2008

We’re no strangers to strange food. We’ve eaten haggis, that famous Scottish dish featuring sheep intestines, with a side of blood pudding, and have to say, it really wasn’t bad. We’ve done calamari, sushi, and all other manner of exotic sea creature; the worm in the tequila bottle; and even a chocolate-covered ant or two. But no matter what tests we’ve put our tastebuds up against, nothing quite compares to a cup of Caffe Raro.

Not sure what that is? Let us enlighten you: It’s a type of coffee created from beans that have seen the inside of the feline-like Asian palm civet’s stomach - and gone out the other end. In essence: cat poo.

To us, Caffe Raro sounds more like a Fear Factor dare than a drink you’d ever voluntarily order, but shockingly, customers at the Peter Jones department store in London are paying £50 each (about $100) for a cup of the stuff. Apparently, it’s one of the most delicious coffee blends around: The civets are known to hand-pick the best coffee berries for their meals, and of course, the dung residue is washed away before the beans are roasted.

“These rare coffees have been slowly hand roasted for around 12 minutes to ensure that we maximise the potential of each coffee,” David Cooper, who created the Caffe Raro blend, told BBC News. “The final roast color is quite dark to ensure that the espresso is perfect for a smooth latte or cappuccino.”

Customers are lining up to try the exotic espresso, and all proceeds from the drink sales will be donated to Macmillan Cancer Support, a large nonprofit group in England. So, if you can get past the ick factor, it might be worth trying a cup of cat poo coffee if you happen to be in the area. After all, it’s for a good cause.

Filed under: General Interest, Non-Profits, Weird,

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