Five warning signs
None of these is proof on its own. Two or three together are enough to walk away from a purchase.
A price that is too low
Authentic wild-harvested Kopi Luwak cannot cost what an ordinary specialty coffee costs. Below a certain threshold, the economics of collection simply do not add up.
Permanent availability
A seller offering every origin, in any quantity, all year round, is not working with a seasonal wild harvest.
No precise origin
“Indonesia” is not an origin. A serious lot states the island, the region, the harvest year and the collector.
Photographs of caged animals
Some sellers publish them without seeing a problem. It is an admission of intensive farming — and a guarantee of a mediocre product, since a force-fed animal selects nothing.
A very dark roast
A shiny, almost black bean hides everything. It is the simplest way to pass ordinary coffee off as something exceptional.
Our control procedure
Every lot goes through these four stages before being offered in Switzerland. A lot that fails any of them is refused and returned.
Documentary check
Before purchase: origin, collector, year, method of collection, quantity available. We check that the quantity offered is consistent with what a collection area can reasonably produce.
Green bean inspection
On arrival: colour, size consistency, presence of the characteristic mark left by digestive transit, absence of cracked or discoloured beans. Moisture content measured.
Blind cupping
A sample is roasted, then cupped to protocol: crust, break, slurp. We look for the body, the low acidity and the absence of bitterness that characterise the product. A standard lot gives itself away in one sip.
Swiss food compliance
Documentary control of the import, labelling in line with the Swiss foodstuffs ordinance, mandatory particulars in German, French and Italian.
What you receive with your order
- Origin sheet
- Island, region, harvest year, collector or cooperative
- Method of collection
- Explicitly stated: wild harvest
- Roast date
- Printed on every pack
- Tasting notes
- The profile recorded during our own cupping of the lot
- Brewing guidance
- Adapted to the lot and to your method
Unsure about a product you have been offered?
Call us. We are happy to answer a question about a lot even if it did not come from us. A better-informed market serves us as much as it serves you.