The world of specialty coffee is weird. We obsess over grind size, water temperature, and pressure profiling. But then there is a corner of the coffee world that obsesses over something else entirely: animals eating (and excreting) coffee beans.
You have probably heard of Kopi Luwak (civet cat coffee), but recently the search volume for bat poop coffee has skyrocketed. Yes, it is a real thing. No, I am not suggesting you drink it.
Here is everything you need to know about this bizarre trend, why it exists, and why you definitely won’t find it on my favorite coffee subscription, Trade Coffee.
First, a clarification that might make you feel slightly better (or worse): Bat poop coffee is often a misnomer. In most cases, it is actually Bat Spit Coffee.
Here is how it works: In places like Costa Rica and Madagascar, there is a specific species of bat (the Artibeus Jamaicensis) that loves ripe coffee cherries. They fly in, bite the skin off the cherry, lick the sugary pulp inside, and leave the rest of the fruit still attached to the tree.
The theory is that the bat’s saliva reacts with the coffee bean, breaking down acids and creating a uniquely smooth, naturally sweet flavor profile. So, you aren't drinking beans that passed through the bat; you are drinking beans that a bat essentially marinated in spit.
Of course, there is also bat guano coffee, which refers to coffee trees fertilized heavily by bat droppings, but that is less about the processing and more about agriculture.
Why would anyone pay $100+ per pound for beans that have been gnawed on by a flying rodent? Novelty.
Like Kopi Luwak, bat poop coffee relies on scarcity. Since you can’t exactly force-feed wild bats (thankfully), farmers have to hunt for these specific, half-eaten cherries. That labor drives up the price. Fans claim it tastes floral, delicate, and low-acid. Critics claim it tastes like… well, coffee that cost way too much money.
Absolutely not.
And honestly, that is one of the reasons I love Trade Coffee. They don't rely on gimmicks, animal digestive tracts, or novelty processing to sell beans. They partner with the best specialty roasters in the United States who source their beans ethically and focus on quality farming, not animal saliva.
Trade connects you with roasters who visit the farms, pay fair wages, and roast the coffee fresh before shipping it to you. You get the incredible flavor notes—chocolate, blueberry, jasmine, caramel—because of skilled roasting and farming, not because a bat licked it.
If you are looking for that "smooth, low acid" profile that people chase with animal coffees, you can get it without the "ick" factor. Look for:
You can find all of these on Trade. You take a simple quiz, they match you with a coffee you’ll love, and you never have to wonder if a bat was involved in the process.
Bat poop coffee (or spit coffee) is a fun dinner party fact, but as a daily drinker? Hard pass. It is expensive, hard to verify, and frankly, unnecessary.
Save your money. Skip the novelty. Get yourself a subscription to Trade and drink coffee that tastes amazing because it’s good, not because it’s weird.
Get $15 off your first bag of (bat-free) coffee from Trade here.