flipStrong black coffee, writer's brew
Strong black coffee, writer's brew
Why this dish? Dworkin was a prolific essayist who spent hours at her typewriter. Black coffee, strong, drunk cup after cup, is the archetypal drink of the 20th-century American activist intellectual, accompanying nights of writing and speech preparation.
A black coffee, dense and unadorned, as drunk from percolators in American activist kitchens and cafes. Bitter, comforting, made to keep you awake.
I never asked a coffee to be pretty. I ask it to keep me awake until the page is done. You make it strong, you drink it black, and you go back to the typewriter. Ideas don't come on their own — you have to stay there, for hours, wrestling with words. One cup, then another, and the work gets done. That's all I ask of it.
- •Ground coffee — generously (body and bitterness)
- •Water — according to number of cups (infusion)
Strong black coffee, writer's brew
A black coffee, dense and unadorned, as drunk from percolators in American activist kitchens and cafes. Bitter, comforting, made to keep you awake.
Why this dish? Dworkin was a prolific essayist who spent hours at her typewriter. Black coffee, strong, drunk cup after cup, is the archetypal drink of the 20th-century American activist intellectual, accompanying nights of writing and speech preparation.
I never asked a coffee to be pretty. I ask it to keep me awake until the page is done. You make it strong, you drink it black, and you go back to the typewriter. Ideas don't come on their own — you have to stay there, for hours, wrestling with words. One cup, then another, and the work gets done. That's all I ask of it.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ground coffee — generously (body and bitterness)
- Water — according to number of cups (infusion)
Ingredients
- Ground coffee (dark roast) — 2 heaped tbsp per cup (body and bitterness)
- Filtered water — 250 ml per cup (infusion)
Method
- Heat water until just before boiling (90-95°C).
- In a percolator or French press: dose generously with ground coffee.
- Pour hot water, let steep for 4 minutes in a French press, then press gently.
- Serve black, piping hot, in a thick mug. No sugar, no milk: it's a working coffee.
How it was made : Percolator coffee (stovetop percolator) was standard equipment in American households for much of the 20th century, producing a strong, often slightly bitter brew. In activist and academic circles, black coffee was the rallying drink for long meetings and writing sessions.
The contemporary twist : Serve in a mug covered with activist stickers: coffee as a work-table object, not a gastronomic experience.
Andrea Dworkin · Charactorium
