Strange Brew- Worlds Priciest Drink? Indo's Secret

By Michael Doliveck ~ Balifornian Villas, Tours and Travel Blog

It’s highly sought after and its worth its weight in silver. It’s only available from certain parts of Indonesia.  It’s the drink of choice for the ultra-wealthy.  It’s been featured in movies, Oprah swears by it, and its known as one of the most expensive drinks in the world.     What is it?  

 Well, it’s called Kopi Luwak and it might surprise you as to how it is made.

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Kopi is the Indonesian word for coffee, and Luwak is a small marsupial also known as the paradoxurus or Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). They only live on the islands of Sumatra, Java and Sulawesi in Indonesia. The Luwak is a small tree-dwelling animal that climbs among the coffee trees eating only the ripest, reddest coffee cherries. They then digest and eventually excrete the bean. The proteolytic enzymes in the cat-like animals' stomachs adds a unique flavor through fermentation during the digestion process.  Locals then collect the “processed” bean.  It is then washed, sun dried, lightly roasted and then brewed to yield an aromatic coffee with very little bitterness.

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 Kopi Luwak is the most expensive coffee in the world.  It sells for $100 to $700 a pound and special varieties have sold for over $3000 a pound!  It can also be purchased by the cup for up to $50.  Not to worry as Balifornian Tours can take you to authentic locations selling some of the highest quality Kopi Luwak found in the islands for a much lower price (around $4-$6 a cup)

And here is what it looks like in its 'raw' form. Are you brave enough to try??

Copyright © 2010 Mikaku ~ Michael Doliveck

It's really not that bad and you will come away with a great story from your travels to Bali.  Let us know what you think.

From all of us at Balifornian Villas, Tours and Travel Blog, we wish you happy travels and happy drinking too! Salamat Jalan dan Salamat Minum!!

Borobudur Temple- Your Definitive Guide (photos)

Borobudur is the largest and widely hailed as one of the greatest Buddhist monuments in the world.  The colossal temple, composed of 55,000 square meters of lava-rock is erected on a hill  in Muntilan, Magelang, and is about 42 km from Yogyakarta city in Central Java, Indonesia.

This massive structure was built between AD 700 and  AD 850, (over 300 years prior to Cambodia's Angkor Wat, and more than 400 years before any of the great European cathedrals).  The monument comprises of a stepped-pyramid of six rectangular stories topped by three circular terraces, and a central stupacrowning this incredible architectural achievement on par with the great pyramids of Egypt.  The entire structure is in the form of a lotus, the sacred flower of The Buddha.

The Temple is adorned with 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha sculptures.  A huge main dome, located at the very center of the top most platform, is surrounded by 72 Buddha statues seated inside perforated stupas.  Each of these Buddhas are performing a mudra or hand gesture indicating one of the five directions.  East, with the mudra of calling the earth to witness.  South, with the hand position of blessing.  West, with the gesture of meditation and north, the mudra of fearlessness.  And finally, the centre with the teaching gesture.  The name Borobudur is believed to be derived from the Sanskrit words 'vihara', 'Buddha' and  'uhr', which loosely translates as 'the Buddhist monastery on the hill'.

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Borobudur is Indonesia's single most visited tourist attraction and  is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  But fear not as Balifornian Tours can get you there at times when you will not be inundated with tourists.  This is a "no miss" site on any Indonesian tour and we can help you get there with the least hassle possible and get you to all the secret spots while explaining this heroic achievement of human vision that others might miss.

Borobudur is included in Balifornian's Eco-Tour, Adventure Tour and The Photographer's Photo Safari.  Contact us today for details. m@balifornian.com

For more images of Borobudur please see our gallery.

Balifornian Tours and Travel Blog ~ The best Bali website.