Crappuccino

There’s been a lot of buzz for weasel coffee among coffee connoisseurs. Depending on whether the coffee is from Vietnam, Indonesia or the Philippines, these can be referred to as ca phe chon, kopi luwak or kape alamid, respectively.

Traditionally, weasel coffee only differs from regular coffee in that the coffee beans go through a uniquely different process. They are partially digested and naturally “processed” in the digestive tract of palm civet cats. Eventually, these beans are then (how do I say this delicately?) pooped out by the civets and harvested. After washing, they are then ready for roasting. The result is a gourmet coffee that aficionados are willing to spend a fortune on. Supposedly, the trip down the animal’s digestive tract exposes the beans to all sorts of enzymes which results in a wonderful coffee taste.

As a coffee freak, I’ve always wanted to try a cup of crappuccino and on a recent trip to Vietnam, I finally had my chance. As a personal rule of thumb when ingesting strange things, I always make a beeline for the most reputable place. I figure that if the experience is not one to write home about, at least I would have been assured that my meal or drink was prepared with optimum hygiene.

Trung Nguyen is the Vietnamese Starbucks and they have several well appointed coffee shops all over Vietnam. What better place to have a cup of caphe chon? Upon asking for my weasel coffee, Trung Nguyen’s gold foil-wrapped Legendee product is pointed out to me.

My weasel coffee arrives with a single cup filter and it’s a revelation. This was, by far, the best cup of joe I’ve had in my life! It was luxuriously thick, dark and rich. Despite its intensely strong coffee flavor, it went down remarkably smooth. No acidic or bitter aftertaste here. The coffee itself had hints of dark chocolate which was a pleasant surprise. I savored every last drop of it.

Needless to say, my first stop after finishing my cup was the Trung Nguyen shop where I proceeded to purchase a pack of Legendee coffee to take home.

Upon further research, I found out that Trung Nguyen’s Legendee coffee did not actually pass through a civet cat’s digestive tract. Instead, it was treated with natural enzymes to simulate the same effect. That was a bit of a letdown as it meant that technically speaking, I had not really had a cup of crappuccino. On the other hand, if that cup is a simulation of what weasel coffee tastes like then I am definitely looking forward to my first real cup of crappuccino.