Coffee connoisseurs should whet their taste buds because there’s a new flavour in town – cat poop coffee.
Bean Brothers Café in Kerrisdale has brought in a shipment of Doi Chaang Wild Thai Civet coffee to get more people in its doors this holiday season.
“I want to make sure we have something unique, something hard to find that will bring more people to the store,” explained Bean Brothers owner Arkady Draliuk.
Doi Chaang, which is sometimes referred to as cat poop coffee, is produced from coffee cherries grown in northern Thailand that have passed through the digestive system of a common palm civet.
According to Draliuk, the Doi Chaang farmers hand collect the beans from the jungle, and are the only coffee farmers who separate the beans as “spat” or “passed.”
He also said there are only 100 kilograms available worldwide this year, and Doi Chaang Wild Thai Civet coffees are considered among the rarest and most-sought after coffees in the world.
The cost per cup? $30.
Draliuk said this is the second year in a row he’ll serve the coffee to his customers.
But the trick, he said, is not getting his hands on the coffee – it is teaching his employees how to brew it.
“Training is key … you have to know what you’re doing when you’re brewing it by the cup,” he said, adding the training is the most expensive part of his business.
Fortunately, Bean Brothers has 25 full-time staff.
Draliuk said the Doi Chaang coffee helps Bean Brothers separate itself from the Starbucks and Tim Hortons of the world.
“Today, to attract people you have to do something special.”
Doig Chaang Wild Thai Civet coffee will be available at Bean Brothers from December 17 to 23.