UAE sees strong tea trading, as rare coffee set for a taste test

The UAE is officially the world's largest re-exporter of tea - and may soon be home to one of the world's most expensive coffees if buyers can see past how it is produced.

DUBAI , UNITED ARAB EMIRATES Ð Oct 30 : Rohan Kapadia , Strategy & Business Development , Luwaq Coffees ( not in the photo ) showing the droppings of the cats at the Luwaq stall during the International Tea & Coffee Festival held at the Meydan Grandstand & Convention Centre in Dubai. The price of this coffee is 200 US Dollar Per Kg.  ( Pawan Singh / The National ) For Business. Story by Gillian Duncan
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The UAE is officially the world's largest re-exporter of tea - and may soon be home to one of the world's most expensive coffees if buyers can see past how it is produced.

From 2007 to 2011, the Emirates re-exported more tea than any other country, with a 60 per cent market share valued at about US$48 million (Dh176.3m) last year, according to a report released by the Ministry of Foreign Trade.

It was also consistently one of the five top importers of tea in the period, claiming the second spot every year with the exception of 2009, when it came in third behind the United Kingdom.

And it may soon import one the world's most expensive coffees - but it will probably not be to everyone's taste."[Kopi luwak] has a very unconventional way of harvesting," explains Rohan Kapadia, a co-founder of Luwaq Specialty Coffees, which is exhibiting at the International Tea and Coffee Festival this week in an effort to reach UAE retailers.

Coffee beans used to make kopi luwak, which costs about $200 a kilo, are eaten by the civet cat in Indonesia and excreted in its droppings before being collected, cleaned and roasted.

"The enzymes in the tummy of the cat act upon the beans and that's how this is the least acidic of all coffees," says Mr Kapadia. It has been around for centuries, but few companies outside Indonesia produce it, according to Mr Kapadia.

And if Luwaq manages to find buyers at the festival it would be the first market the company, which was founded a year ago, directly sells into aside from its home market of Singapore.

However the UAE is already home to some of the world's most expensive tea, which costs several times more than kopi luwak by weight.

Adam's Peak sells for about $450 a pound, which is approximately enough to make 250 cups.

It is available at a small number of outlets in the UAE, says John Chaffey, a tea master with The Metropolitan Tea Company, a supplier.

But you need to have a keen palate to appreciate the brew, which is rich in antioxidants.

"It has notes of pine and honey, but it's very delicate," says Mr Chaffey.

"It tastes almost like hot water, unless you brew it strong enough."