Where in the world is the best coffee from?
The classic answer is the slopes of Blue Mountain in Jamaica, which was long the most expensive whole-bean coffee in the world. However, Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee has been difficult to obtain in the past 15 or 20 years; I heard unsubstantiated reports that the entire production was contracted to a Japanese coffee importer for their exclusive use. Other Jamaican coffee is also quite good, but the Blue Mountain was distinctive, delicate yet full-bodied, with a slightly malty aftertaste. The distinction of price has been pipped by a repulsive-sounding substance called “luak,” from Indonesia. Apparently the luak is a small mammal, roughly similar in size and apeparance to the European/North American weasel. The luak likes to eat coffee cherries, but only digests the edible outer rind; the beans (actually the seeds) pass through its digestive tract, having been chemically altered in some way. The locals, apparently, gather these seeds, whereupon they are washed, roasted and ground into
