Weasel coffee is an unusual form of coffee extracted from the droppings of the civet cat (luwak). Coffee beans eaten by this animal, digested briefly in its stomach, excreted without damage from this process, then collected and roasted by locals before consumption – this specialty beverage is known by several names around Southeast Asia including Vietnam’s caphe chon, Cordillera region’s Kape Motit and Kapealamid/Kahawa Kubing in the Philippines.

Fiqh holds that luwak coffee is permissible as long as its beans enter an animal’s digestive system and are excreted out without alteration in their original state. Once washed properly to remove impurities from them, these beans would once more be considered pure (tahir) and therefore halal.

Indonesia, where civet coffee is most prevalent, recently saw its top Islamic body rule that Muslims may consume kopi luwak provided the beans have been thoroughly washed. Locally known as luwak or “kopi cengkak”, this beverage consists of coffee beans that have been harvested from nocturnal civet cat faeces, then roasted, washed, ground into coffee powder for sale to the general public at a premium price.