Take weight off your feet, and wallet, with an €85 cup of cat poo coffee

Coffee lovers looking for an extra boost ahead of the Christmas shopping rush could opt for a cup of hot brew made from cat poo — if they fork out €85 for the privilege.

Jack Mondays coffee house in Limerick is selling what is believed to be Ireland’s most expensive cup of coffee, made from beans picked from the droppings of the cat-like civet in Indonesia.

Kopi Luwak coffee arrived in Ireland last year and is only sold in a handful of coffee shops. The brew first went on sale in Aug 2012 at the Coffee Kiosk in Dublin 4 for €30 a cup.

It has also been sold for £50 (€60) a cup in London and upwards of $30 (€21.90) per cup in New York.

Mo Kaswani, manager of Jack Mondays, sold a cup of Kopi Luwak to two US customers on Wednesday and said “they loved it”.

Like two cats who got the cream, the pair agreed to have their pictures taken in the shop drinking the cat poo coffee after it was “purred” into their cups by Mo.

“I told them not to expect too much. It is coffee after all. They loved it. Their expectation was that it would taste like liquid gold.”

When the beans are passed out through the cat’s digestive system, they apparently take on a bitter taste before being washed and roasted, which gives them their silky, delicate aroma.

“It’s a very uniform, light coffee taste. It’s not tarry at all. In fact, it’s very smooth. I believe there are only three other shops in Dublin selling it,” said Mo.

The Indonesian delicacy came to prominence after it was highlighted in the 2007 film, The Bucket List, starring Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman.

Nicholson’s character takes a whiff of his favourite coffee and declares “Kopi Luwak, the rarest beverage in the world”, before he offers it to his unconvinced and sheepish lawyer to taste.

And if you’re still not sold on that €85 coffee, then Jack Mondays is offering a free lunch at its restaurant on Thomond Bridge, Limerick City, with every cup of Kopi Luwak.