flipCatherine's Black Coffee, Soul-Shattering
Catherine's Black Coffee, Soul-Shattering
Why this dish? Catherine's passion for prodigiously strong coffee remained legendary at court: it is said that a secretary who tasted her brew nearly fainted. Rising before dawn to work on her laws and correspondence with Voltaire and Diderot, she sustained herself with a nearly thick coffee.
An extremely concentrated coffee, prepared in the 18th-century style: fine powder boiled in water, left to settle, served black and steaming. A single cup awakens an empire.
They reproach me for my coffee as they reproach everything about women who govern: with a mix of fear and envy. I have them put a pound for five cups, and I am assured it would make a dead horse gallop. Before the palace awakens, I have already read my dispatches and scribbled three pages to my dear Voltaire — how could you hold a pen with a steady hand with lukewarm water in the cup? Drink little, but drink it black: the rest is nothing but convent tisane.
- •Very finely ground coffee — a generous measure (base, in very strong dose)
- •Spring water — little, for few cups (extraction)
Catherine's Black Coffee, Soul-Shattering
An extremely concentrated coffee, prepared in the 18th-century style: fine powder boiled in water, left to settle, served black and steaming. A single cup awakens an empire.
Why this dish? Catherine's passion for prodigiously strong coffee remained legendary at court: it is said that a secretary who tasted her brew nearly fainted. Rising before dawn to work on her laws and correspondence with Voltaire and Diderot, she sustained herself with a nearly thick coffee.
They reproach me for my coffee as they reproach everything about women who govern: with a mix of fear and envy. I have them put a pound for five cups, and I am assured it would make a dead horse gallop. Before the palace awakens, I have already read my dispatches and scribbled three pages to my dear Voltaire — how could you hold a pen with a steady hand with lukewarm water in the cup? Drink little, but drink it black: the rest is nothing but convent tisane.
Ingredients (period version)
- Very finely ground coffee — a generous measure (base, in very strong dose)
- Spring water — little, for few cups (extraction)
Ingredients
- Finely ground coffee (dark roast) — 3 heaped tbsp (concentrated base)
- Water — 250 ml (extraction)
- Sugar or honey (optional) — to taste (sweeten bitterness)
Method
- Pour water into a small saucepan and bring to a simmer.
- Off the heat, add the ground coffee, stir, return to low heat for 30 seconds without letting it boil over.
- Remove, cover, and let rest 3-4 minutes so the grounds settle at the bottom.
- Pour gently into a cup, leaving the sediment at the bottom. Serve scalding hot, black.
- For those without an empress's stomach: halve the coffee dose and sweeten with a little honey.
How it was made : In the 18th century, coffee was prepared 'Turkish style', by decoction: fine powder boiled then decanted, without filtering. Coffee strength was a marker of refinement and energy, very fashionable in European courts.
The contemporary twist : Serve it in a small porcelain cup on a gilded saucer, with a square of honey gingerbread for dipping — the 'study' version of a gourmet coffee.
Sources : Anecdotes reported by memoirists of Catherine II's court
Catherine II of Russia · Charactorium
