Kopi Luwak:

Foraged from the droppings of wild Kopi Luwaks (Civet Cats), the ‘magic’ of Kopi Luwak occurs in two parts: First, the wild Luwak, selects the ripest coffee cherries using its acute sense of smell. Then, as it passes through the Luwak, the digestive acids create a molecular change in the coffee bean, leaving it discernibly more brittle once collected and dried, enhancing the beans natural qualities.

Properly foraged wild Kopi Luwak is only ever available in very small quantities as the process of finding these droppings within large forests is exceptionally time consuming. The beauty of the coffee is that the civets are extremely selective and will only consume perfectly ripe coffee cherries, while the proteolytic enzymes in the civet cat’s digestive track effectively remove any bitterness. 

All our Kopi Luwak coffee beans are 100% ethically sourced - foraged only from wild civet cats.

Northern Sumatra:

In 2013, Sea Island Coffee staff began work in Sumatra to develop an independent accredited certification standard for wild, ethically-sourced Civet Coffee in consultation with leading proponents of animal welfare, the World Animal Protection organization and food-certification experts.

Foraged in the Gayo Highlands of northern Sumatra, this is a wonderfully balanced, velvety coffee with caramel sweetness, hazelnut and dark cocoa tones, and subtle acidity.

Jacu Bird:

These indigenous birds inhabit the forest and feast on only the very ripest coffee cherries produced in the forest shade. Once the Jacu bird has ingested the cherry, it goes through its digestive system and the local villagers collect the odourless droppings, composed of the extremely rare coffee beans, and transport them to the drying areas where they are dried, cleaned and stored in their parchment for up to three months.

The result of this laborious, unique process is a sweet, full-bodied speciality coffee more acidic than typically found in the region, with a clean, smooth aftertaste and no bitterness. 

Our Jacu bird beans are 100% ethically sourced - foraged only from wild birds.

Camocim Estate, Brazil:

The Camocim Estate, with just 50 hectares of land under coffee cultivation, is one of the smallest coffee plantations in Brazil. Located in Pedra Azul, Espirito Santo, the small coffee estate is home to a native South American bird called the Jacu.

Wild Toucan:

Sea Island Coffee is proud to offer the world’s first 'Toucan Coffee'. Exclusively supplied to us by the magnificent Coffea Diversa estate in Costa Rica, where wild, fiery-billed aracari toucan birds (known locally as 'cusingo') inhabit the tropical forest and feast on only the very ripest coffee cherries. Interestingly, at the Coffea Diversa estate, where hundreds of rare coffee varietals are grown, the toucans are especially fond of the cherries produced by the Geisha and Bourbon Pointu plants.

This particular species of toucan is native to the southern region of Costa Rica. During the harvesting season they feed on fully ripe coffee cherries, skilfully removing the cherry skin (red pulp) with their bills, and then swallowing only the coffee bean, covered with sweet, sticky mucilage. The coffee beans go through the toucan’s digestive system, and are then deposited in neat silver piles, after which they are collected by the farm workers, cleaned, dried, processed, and allowed to rest for several weeks to ensure uniform moisture content.

Geisha:

This Geisha maintains its beautiful citrus cupping attributes, but the body of the 'Toucan Processed Coffee' is heavier than the conventional Washed Process for these varieties. The taste attributes are similar but more intense, i.e., the floral of the Geisha is more pronounced.