... and you can buy it in Blanchardstown

IN THE FILM The Bucket List, Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman have a list of things they must experience before they die. One of them is to taste the rarest and most expensive coffee in the world – Kopi Luwak. It sells for around $50 a cup in various uber-ritzy locations around the world.

An industrial estate just outside Blanchardstown may not immediately come to mind when you think of salubrious locations, but in the Java Republic coffee company headquarters you can, as of this week, tick Kopi Luwak off your own bucket list.

A cup of coffee costing more than a pint of beer (hello Starbucks) is one thing, but a cup of coffee costing more than a bottle of champagne is madder than madness itself. Until you taste it. Goodness gracious me – I can see why Jack Nicholson became addicted to it.

As angels dance softly on my tongue and cluster bombs of serotonin explode gracefully in my brain, my palate is experiencing all sorts of exotic sensations as I relish the freshness of this most sought-after brew.

The science bit will tell you that “Kopi Luwak has a bouquet of caramel and cinnamon and the Arabica bean has a clean, smooth flavour that tastes of cacao and a hint of berries, which leave a spicy cinnamon mouthfeel”. Which is all very lovely, but doesn’t come close to the feeling you get while slowly supping it.

It probably enhances the experience if you don’t know how Kopi Luwak is made (and what makes it so expensive), but if you really want the gritty details: it is made from the beans of coffee berries that have been eaten by the small Asian cat known as the Luwak. The beans are passed through the Luwak’s digestive tract before being gathered, washed, sun-dried and roasted. The big deal here is that there is not a hint of bitterness from the coffee – but far from being mild, it carries quite a beautiful kick.

You can order a bag of Kopi Luwak at the Java Republic coffee shop at 510 Mitchelstown Road, Northwest Business Park, Ballycoolin, Dublin 15.

A 250g bag of the coffee beans, which will yield about 20 good-sized cups costs €68.49 and the idea is that it is “occasion coffee” to mark a special event, or a gift for the coffee lover in your life. A cup of Kopi Luwak will also be available to buy in the coffee shop, at a specially reduced price €26.59.

Because a lot of care and attention goes into the roasting of the Kopi Luwak beans you’ll need to give Java Republic about three to four days’ notice of your order. Email info@javarepublic.com