Yes, you read that right. I am reviewing the civet coffee found in Olio Coffee Shop in St Leonards - also civet coffee is more commonly known as Cat Poop coffee because... well, that is exactly what it is.
You see, according to the marketing material which I am always susceptible to, civets eat coffee beans, the beans go through the intestinal processes and come out the other side. Underpaid children are then used to collect these little gems (ok not too sure about that first part, but hey! I could be right) and the little poopie coffee beans are processed and blablabla.
Now because this process involves a particular animal (and maybe underpaid children), this particular coffee is a bit rarer and thus, a bit more expensive than the regular shot. It is actually currently worth A$9, but given the collapse of the dollar or whatnot, they said the shot might go up to $15 per serve! Eeek!
The question then becomes: How is it? Well, we had a short black (the recommended form) and we found it ... nice. It was strong coffee with slight earthy tinges. It did not have an unpleasant smell (sorry, Leanne! Your supplier might have been a bit dodge!) - in fact, it was quite aromatic! And it was an overall pleasant experience.
Is it worth $9? Frack, no.
Will I recommend it to newbies? Yes, why not.
Will I come back again? No.
The coffee was nice enough on its own, but I guess I am not that strong a connoisseur to really appreciate the complexities of a coffee this "rare". I just couldn't tell what made this coffee so different other than its orifical origins. It was not horrid but it was far from mind-blowingly good.
(And there is no such word as orifical)
At the end of the day, for me, it was just another activity I ticked on my list of things to do before I die.
Overall, recommendation is 2.5 slices. The experience itself was worth 3.5 slices, but the price brings the evaluation down a notch.
