P.J.
0
In the lush hills of northern Thailand, a herd of 20 elephants is helping to excrete some of the world's most expensive coffee.
Trumpeted as earthy in flavour and smooth on the palate, the exotic new brew is made from beans eaten by Thai elephants and plucked a day later from their dung. A gut reaction inside the elephant creates what its founder calls the coffee's unique taste.
Stomach turning or oddly alluring, this is not just one of the world's most unusual specialty coffees. At almost $1,090 per kilogram, it's also among the world's priciest.
For now, only the wealthy or well-travelled have access to the cuppa, which is called Black Ivory Coffee. It was launched last month at a few luxury hotels in remote corners of the world — first in northern Thailand, then the
Maldives and now Abu Dhabi — with the price tag of about $50 a serving.
The Associated Press travelled to the coffee's production site in the Golden Triangle, an area historically known for producing drugs more potent than coffee, to see the jumbo baristas at work and to sip the finished product from a dainty demi-tasse.
In the misty mountains where Thailand meets Laos and Burma, also known as Myanmar, the coffee's creator cites biology and scientific research to answer the basic question: Why elephants?
"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 has spent nearly $300,000 developing the coffee. "You end up with a cup that's very smooth without the bitterness of regular coffee."
Canadian turns Thai elephant dung into expensive coffee - World - CBC News
Please also see this you tube video
Elephant Dung Coffee fetches $50 a cup! - YouTube
Trumpeted as earthy in flavour and smooth on the palate, the exotic new brew is made from beans eaten by Thai elephants and plucked a day later from their dung. A gut reaction inside the elephant creates what its founder calls the coffee's unique taste.
Stomach turning or oddly alluring, this is not just one of the world's most unusual specialty coffees. At almost $1,090 per kilogram, it's also among the world's priciest.
For now, only the wealthy or well-travelled have access to the cuppa, which is called Black Ivory Coffee. It was launched last month at a few luxury hotels in remote corners of the world — first in northern Thailand, then the
Maldives and now Abu Dhabi — with the price tag of about $50 a serving.
The Associated Press travelled to the coffee's production site in the Golden Triangle, an area historically known for producing drugs more potent than coffee, to see the jumbo baristas at work and to sip the finished product from a dainty demi-tasse.
In the misty mountains where Thailand meets Laos and Burma, also known as Myanmar, the coffee's creator cites biology and scientific research to answer the basic question: Why elephants?
"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 has spent nearly $300,000 developing the coffee. "You end up with a cup that's very smooth without the bitterness of regular coffee."
Canadian turns Thai elephant dung into expensive coffee - World - CBC News
Please also see this you tube video
Elephant Dung Coffee fetches $50 a cup! - YouTube
