Morning stimulant drink, the “whip” of the writer
Le café noir de l'écrivain
DrinkEvocation☕facile10 min
A strong black coffee, finely ground and infused in simmering water — no milk or frills, to keep the mind alert.
Morning stimulant drink, the “whip” of the writer
A strong black coffee, finely ground and infused in simmering water — no milk or frills, to keep the mind alert.
Writing is a convict's labor, and coffee is its whip. Every morning, before setting to my task — for I imposed my pages like a worker his day — I took my coffee very black, very strong, which kept my mind alert. No frills: finely ground coffee, simmering water, and that honest bitterness that drives away the mists of sleep. It is by this black flame that I burned my nights to build, stone by stone, all my Rougon-Macquart.
Ingredients
- •Roasted coffee beans — a good measure (base, bitterness)
- •Spring water — simmering (infusion)
- •Sugar lump — optional (to sweeten if desired)
How it was made : In the 19th century, coffee had become the drink of intellectuals, literary cafés, and night owls. It was often prepared strong, using a filter coffee pot (like the Belloy type) that appeared at the beginning of the century, and it punctuated writers' long working days.