Skip to main content

Dear Penang, your coffee tastes like sh...1T.

Long regarded as the food capital of Asia, Penang has much to rave about in regard to it's F and B offerings... But it is perhaps the drinks that will form part of our lasting memories of this holiday...
Firstly, there are the Happy Hours which in some hotels in Malaysia (Royale Chulan in KL) extend to all day... Secondly, much to the delight of some in our group there is no legal minimum drinking age here....argh these kids are growing up.
Then there was the chance to try out the world's most expensive coffee... Ok coming from Melbourne's coffee culture, I am spoilt for coffee choice, and can be critical of coffee in places that we stay at...as my Trip Adviser comments will attest to...
I go through phases with my coffee... At the moment I am back on my regular - a decaf skinny cap - or a decaffeinated cappuccino coffee with skimmed milk, if you want it translated into the Queen's English. "What's the point"? My friends ask... I HATE it when my cappuccino arrives without the sprinkle of chocolate on the top....that's the whole point of a cap, right?




Just to show you how brill Melbourne's coffee is, just look at what arrived the other day when I was out walking with a friend and her grand daughter - it's a babyccino, too cute...




But what's all the fuss about the Cat Poop coffee? The Luwak (or Asian Palm Civet ) from Java, Sumatra and Sulawesi, eats the ripest coffee cherries and unable to digest these beans graciously deposits them on the jungle floor where they are eagerly collected by the locals... Mum to Son "Off you go and don't come home until you've collected me a big bag of Civet poo...")




The stomach acids involved in this unique fermentation produces the worlds rarest coffee beverage - it can sell for up to $50 per cup in the poshest restaurants in the US!!




Our brewing process is precise. The coffee beans are ground and smell rich and delicious, the water is carefully boiled and cooled to just the right temperature.. 97 degrees...
We are told to take four sips... "Don't give up after the first one which is a bitter shock in the mouth. Sips two onwards will taste of pure caramel.... "Yeah right..
The marketing department tried hard with their "Good to the last dropping....", but can't say we agree. It tastes even worse when you google Cat poop coffee and find claims of animal abuse...
So mine's a flat white...yeah no worries about the chocolate on top...
Little Wandering Wren

Location:Penang Island, Malaysia

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Autumn Spice and everything nice!

Hey, what ever happened to Summer? I hope yours was lovely, mine was pretty amazing! It feels like my whole year has whizzed past in a flash, how about yours?  I've had a year of saying "yes" to everything offered to me. It has been exciting to put it out to the Universe to see where I should be. We feel very fortunate to be able to do this in my husband's early years of retirement. I'm just back in Asia from the US. I never feel my year is quite right without seeing British daffodils in the Spring and a pumpkin and the leaves turning in Autumn. Yay, the world nailed it this year, thank you.  Read on to find out what happened when my ultimate yes occurred on a trip to Montana to meet Ruth, an IG friend. I know Bloggers will smile and not be at all concerned, we've been meeting up around the globe for years, haven't we...?!  But let's just say some of my family and friends were, you're doing what?! But first some Little Wren updates! France I had so...

Taipei Adventures, naked - moi?!

I have to tell you all about my little adventure in Taipei recently, naked at the Hot Springs! I can't believe that I have never been to Taiwan, I certainly urge you all to go if you ever get the chance. For me, I loved the combination of influences of two countries I enjoy.  Street views from Downtown Taipei The Chinese left some interesting historical influences and stunning architecture, which combined with a Japanese legacy and efficiency in transportation, makes Taipei an easy place to visit, with so much to see. Nowadays, Taiwan has emerged as a thoroughly modern city, I loved my time there. It felt exotic and safe until I had to get my kit off. It was a spur of the moment decisions to join my husband on his Taiwanese business trip, prompted by the delay in the arrival of our furniture into Bangkok, and ‘no room at the inn’ where we had been staying. Given that I’m commitment and fancy-free in Thailand; there’s no job, no kids, no dog and absolutely nothing in ...

L'eau de toilette....

Our meals at The Serai were a huge part of the enjoyment of our stay. Lunch & dinners are marathon five course events...We tried not to over-order but even when we cut back to try to pace ourselves, Chef would send out little treats for us to try... If one person expressed an interest in a particular dish, we all got it.... Whenever someone ordered something we all got it.... ...although sometimes it took a quite a few attempts... 'Can you do oats, no milk?' .... 'Can you do ginger, hot water and some lemon, no milk?' We have an eclectic group of tastes from Miss ' Extra spicy ' to Miss ' Not too spicy ' through to Miss ' Vegetarian, no dairy ' , myself as ' Miss Recovering, extra careful and just wants soup. ...and even Miss India herself who every now and again just orders chips... So we can't leave without saying a huge thank you to the Chef for the best food that we have had so far.... We hear conflicting reports about whether th...