flipStrong Black Coffee
Strong Black Coffee
Why this dish? Camus was a heavy coffee drinker, companion to his cigarettes and late-night work sessions. At the editorial office of *Combat*, the newspaper he directed at the Liberation, strong coffee fueled the late deadlines; it accompanies the very image of the writer at manuscript, typewriter and cup within reach.
A black coffee, short and strong, served piping hot in a small cup. Frank bitterness, drunk without sugar to stay up through the night or punctuate a conversation.
At *Combat*, on deadline nights, it was coffee that kept us on our feet, black and strong, downed between two cigarettes as the proofs came in. I like it short and burning, without fuss, as you drink it at the counter in Algiers, standing, the time for an exchanged word. It's an honest bitterness that wakes the mind without deceiving it. Pour it strong, and you'll know what my writing nights were made of.
- •Finely ground coffee — a good dose (base)
- •Water — very little, for a short coffee (extraction)
Strong Black Coffee
A black coffee, short and strong, served piping hot in a small cup. Frank bitterness, drunk without sugar to stay up through the night or punctuate a conversation.
Why this dish? Camus was a heavy coffee drinker, companion to his cigarettes and late-night work sessions. At the editorial office of *Combat*, the newspaper he directed at the Liberation, strong coffee fueled the late deadlines; it accompanies the very image of the writer at manuscript, typewriter and cup within reach.
At *Combat*, on deadline nights, it was coffee that kept us on our feet, black and strong, downed between two cigarettes as the proofs came in. I like it short and burning, without fuss, as you drink it at the counter in Algiers, standing, the time for an exchanged word. It's an honest bitterness that wakes the mind without deceiving it. Pour it strong, and you'll know what my writing nights were made of.
Ingredients (period version)
- Finely ground coffee — a good dose (base)
- Water — very little, for a short coffee (extraction)
Ingredients
- Freshly ground coffee (fine grind) — 7–8 g per cup (base)
- Water — 30–40 ml per cup (extraction)
Method
- Grind the coffee finely, just before extraction.
- Prepare a short, strong coffee (tight French press, moka pot, or espresso machine), using little water to concentrate the aromas.
- Serve immediately, piping hot, in a preheated small cup.
- Drink without sugar to experience the frank bitterness of the counter.
How it was made : In Camus's Algeria as in post-war Paris, coffee was taken at the counter, standing and strong. Cafés were places of sociability and intellectual work: one would remake the world and correct manuscripts amid cigarette smoke.
The contemporary twist : Served as a double ristretto with a square of dark chocolate and a glass of cold water, in the style of today's Mediterranean counters.
Sources : Olivier Todd, *Albert Camus: A Life* (Gallimard, 1996) · History of the newspaper *Combat* (1944–1947)
Albert Camus · Charactorium
