In the picture you see an animal called a "coati", which is also called a "pig-nosed raccoon". Unfortunately,
Wikipedia does not have an article about it in Ukrainian, but there is English page (and there's Google Translate to
help you!).
It seems to us that visually these coatis are a combination of a nose, a raccoon and a lemur (but, unlike a
lemur, they do not use their tail as a fifth limb). They are mammals and predators (i.e., they can bite your finger,
oh my!). In nature, they live in the range of South America, Central America, Mexico and the southwestern United
States.
Adults grow to 33-70 centimeters (females are 2 times smaller than males) — and that’s without the tail, which is the same length as the rest of the animal’s body! That is, in the jungle, a 140-centimeter-long thing can suddenly come out from behind a tree and come at you with the aim of taking a bite out of your butt or nibbling on your fingers. Brr. But it looks cute, if you don’t take into account that it is larger than a child and a teenager in full length. And in the photo it even seems to be smiling. True, you will defeat it in a one-on-one duel: it weighs no more than 8 kilograms, which is comparable to a fat house cat. The coati is considered dangerous due to its long sharp fangs, flexibility, as the animal can turn its body to the sides up to 60°, strong clawed paws, muscular body, strong skin and fighting qualities for self-defense. This animal walks not at all like a cat, but like a bear - stepping on the soft pads of its paws, clicking its nails on hard surfaces when walking. The animal lives in forests, leads a daytime lifestyle, sleeps in soft nests. It lives for 7 years in nature and up to 20 years in captivity, with good nutrition.
And it was their diet that drew our attention to coatis and made us write an article about them. Despite the
fact that they feed mainly on fallen leaves and branches, fruits, eggs, rodents, lizards and insects, they also often
eat coffee beans - in the photo you can actually see a coati against the background of ripening coffee beans. And it
is with them that an expensive elite product is associated, which in its biological cycle of production and
fermentation is the same as Kopi Luwak. Only in the production of Kopi Luwak an animal called civet is involved,
and here - coatis.
There is even a term “coati kava” on the market, and experts immediately understand what is being said. Some producers also add the name of the country of origin - Peru, Mexico, Bolivia, Colombia, Suriname, Guyana, Ecuador, etc. By the way, in different countries this animal may have its own unique names. In Peru, for example, it is called “uchunari” or “nasua”. In Cambodia, where the animals are bred in captivity, they are called “mishasho”.
To produce Uchunari poop coffee, animals are either captured and caged, forced to eat mostly coffee (with other supplements to the diet so they don't die), or they are domesticated and released into a yard/pen surrounded by a net so they don't escape, or they are hunted for their droppings in the jungle. Then comes the collection, washing, sorting, cleaning, drying, packaging for export and sale.
Why is this coffee loved? For the same taste reasons as its more famous “big brother”, Kopi Luwak, - because of the mild taste, fruity notes, lack of bitterness, richness of taste. And for its unusualness, of course, which is fueled by marketing efforts and the rarity of the product. Depending on what input grains are fed to this animal, the taste qualities of the original product also change, but producers have noticed that bitterness and acidity are always reduced, and sugar, chocolate and syrupy notes are emphasized. And all this creates a complex taste, highly valued by connoisseurs.
This coffee costs a lot! Within the producing countries, its price is from 200 to 1400 dollars per 1 kg, and this is without delivery and the mark-up of the chain of intermediaries! In Ukraine, coati coffee is absent as of today in principle, and it cannot be found in the search either already imported here, or ordered from intermediaries for delivery in the future. The only way out is to go to English-language sites and order via mail delivery from American countries, paying international shipping. Well, prepare up to 2000 dollars for 1 kg of coati coffee with delivery to Ukraine (taking into account payment of duties at the border). And this will be your most expensive coffee in your life, 3-30 times more expensive than Kopi Luwak, which can be bought in Indonesia in 2024 for the equivalent of 2500 UAH per 1 kg (noticeably cheaper than in Ukraine)..
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