Luwak Coffee Field Lecture

By : Nathanael Steven BM’12

Field lecture is one of important aspects in university course. It combines lessons in the class and real world application to give students deeper understanding about a certain topic. In 2016, the field lecture for Fundamental Fermentation Technology class was held
on May 31^st.

The destination for the field lecture was Kopi Luwak Cikole, Lembang. Kopi luwak, or civet fermented coffee, is a very famous kind of coffee for its delicious taste and aroma, making it the most expensive coffee in the world. The secret behind that delicious taste is the enzymatic process inside the civet’s gut where the coffee bean is processed. The enzymatic process is certainly influenced by microorganisms inside the gut.

The students were very pleased to hear the explanation about the fermentation process and how this unique coffee from Indonesia is so famously known. The students were also given a cup of the coffee and most of them liked it and even bought some to be brought home. The field lecture was very fun and informative for the students and gave them more insight about how closely related microbiology to industry. By means of this field trip, the students were informed that microbiology is a very broad subject and can be a
pplied almost everywhere.