Food - Drink
The Precise Way Beethoven Insisted On Having His Coffee Brewed
By RYAN CASHMAN
A morning cup of coffee is enjoyed by many people, including some famous artists and thinkers over the years, like Balzac, Marcel Proust, and David Lynch. However, one brilliant musician stands out in this company of caffeine lovers — composer Ludwig van Beethoven, who was extremely particular about his morning joe.
Beethoven would count out 60 coffee beans every morning, as he believed this number would make a perfect cup of coffee. Beethoven lived in Vienna, which had a strong cafe and coffee culture; however, he chose to make his own coffee using a coffee maker he invented that probably looked similar to a modern siphon brewer.
Beethoven likely learned how to make coffee at a young age; at 19, he was the youngest member of the Hapsburg Empire’s court orchestra and was relegated to performing kitchen duties, like making coffee. Beethoven’s 60-bean-method must have made a great cup of joe because his coffee ritual remained unchanged for the rest of his life.