Coffee can be both tasty and beneficial to our health; it is packed with powerful antioxidants to combat free radicals and boost your metabolism, as well as lower blood pressure, protect against diabetes, heart disease and protect against cancer. But it is essential that consumers know if a particular variety is halal – is Luwak coffee acceptable or not?

Kopi Luwak or Civet Coffee is an exclusive variety of coffee that is harvested by wild civets, known for its smooth taste and lack of bitter aftertaste. Kopi Luwak is highly prized in Indonesia – home to one of the largest Muslim populations on earth – where it often fetches over $200 per pound online sales prices.

Though some Muslim scholars consider coffee to be forbidden under Islam, others have determined it halal for consumption. Its status as permissible rests on its proper cleaning processes that remove physical impurities – including washing multiple times before roasting at high temperatures and inspecting for forbidden ingredients such as meat.

Considerations of this coffee as halal is based on its production process which eliminates harmful bacteria as well as alcohol or fat that could pose any dangers to its drinkers. Furthermore, they note that beans do not actually enter their bodies but instead excreted out with droppings before being collected and washed before roasting and creating beverages from these beans.

Other Muslim scholars, however, argue against this view and state that coffee beans produced from sources contaminated by fecal matter remain spiritually impure and therefore forbidden unless thoroughly washed before consumption.

To be considered halal, beans must pass through a civet’s stomach and anus in their entirety, without being crushed, mixed with other substances or otherwise processed. Furthermore, no force should be applied when feeding beans to them, with their intestines and anus cleaned thoroughly as part of this process.

On this basis, the Ulema Council declared luwak coffee to be halal provided that its beans are washed and processed according to Islamic Shariah Law; they must be roasted and ground without fat or alcohol; additionally they must undergo inspection and certification as meeting halal standards before sale; finally civet coffee must be stored in an environment free from animal products (cages, feed and bedding for bedding animals as well as water used to wash beans), no forceful feeding of the animal occurs while making sure this beverage meets Muslim consumption standards ensuring its status as being suitable for consumption by Muslims.