Bali has been promoting its coffee plantations as one of its newest tourist attractions & most of these coffee plantations are located in Temen Village, the home for organic coffee.
However, our tour guide brought us to Cantik Agriculture Luwak Coffee which was located in Gianyar. A local lady guide from the establishment greeted us warmly. She asked us where we were from & we answered “Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.” Upon doing so, she changed her Balinese accent & adopted to one which was similar to Malaysian. She further explained that she had received many Malaysian tourists in the past & had learnt our local twang. Then, we walked through a narrow path & was shown a lone civet, sleeping in its cage & thereafter, a pair, sleeping as well. She explained that the civets are nocturnal creatures & they can’t really see in the day. It is known that civets are the producers of the world’s most expensive coffee named “Luwak Coffee.”
The civets are known to eat only the best coffee beans which will pass through their digestive system. The beans will be defecated, collected, washed, sun-dried & roasted. That is how Luwak Coffee is being made.
There are only 3 species of coffee planted in the plantation, Arabica, Robusta & Bali. The Arabica coffee leaves are smaller than Robusta’s. We were also shown cocoa & ginseng trees. Not long after, we came to a hut & saw coffee beans in their respective stage, from the defecated stage til the roasted stage. We also saw a woman roasting & grinding the coffee beans. We were invited to taste some cocoa & had found them sweet.
Next, the lady guide ushered us to an open-air sitting area. She had told us to choose a table while she prepares the 15 types of complimentary coffee & tea for us. We had the plantation view ahead of us. It was very peaceful & serene. On our table was a laminated placemat with descriptions & benefits of the various coffee & tea produced in the plantation. Not long after, our lady guide appeared with 15 small cups of coffee & tea which were laid on top of each description window. All of them tasted delicious as most were mixed with sugar. The Luwak Coffee was not part of the complimentary tray. Hence, my partner had requested for a cup at IDR50,000. The Luwak Coffee was strong in flavour, taste & smell in comparison to the others.
Next, we were invited to shop at their gift store for souvenirs. The coffee & tea powder were sold in various weight. The cheapest was sold at IDR60,000 enough for 3 cups which was pretty expensive! They come either with sugar or without sugar for the health conscious.
Since my partner & I enjoyed most of the coffee & tea, we ended buying quite a bit. I had also bought some body scrub & bath soaps as souvenirs.
This is one tour that I strongly urge not to miss. It’s an opportunity to taste all 15 types of coffee & tea which are beneficial to the body.