We’ve had civet cat coffee. We’ve had elephant dung coffee. We’ve had coffee flavoured with everything from mushrooms to salted butter, and served in everything from hollowed out avocado shells to ice cream cones. Now, there’s a new trend on the market – and it could even overtake Kopi Luwak (civet cat coffee) as the most expensive out there.
The story starts in Itasy in central Madagascar, home to a rare specialty Arabica bourbon pointu coffee. This coffee is already in demand, but now consumers are even keener for the beans – particularly the ones that have been nibbled by bats! Apparently, bat spit adds an extra layer of smoothness to the flavour and has sent prices soaring, commanding a premium over the ‘uncontaminated’ beans.
Wild bats come to nibble on the ripe coffee cherries, and the resulting spit reacts with the outside air to remove acidity and add a smoother flavour. Agricultural entrepreneur Jacques Ramarlah was responsible for bringing the bourbon pointu beans back to the area, and was also the one to notice the bats’ unusual feeding habits and make the connection with the improved flavour. He now works with around 90 farmers to produce the top-quality brew, although ‘bat spit’ coffee remains a relatively small percentage of the overall crop – we imagine because of the difficulties in getting the bats to do their part! We’re not sure what the bats are getting out of it, but perhaps they like caffeine as much as we do.
Here at the Wholesale Coffee Company, we can’t promise you bat spit coffee – but we can promise you top quality beans, responsibly sourced and roasted in our own facility and available at great wholesale prices for your coffee business. Take a look at our main website to find out more, and view our full range of coffee beans, accessories and supplies.