Fanny Mendelssohn at the table

In 19th-century Berlin bourgeoisie, the day was structured around four times: Frühstück (breakfast), Mittagessen (hot midday meal, soup and roast), Abendbrot (cold supper of breads and cold cuts), and, in the afternoon, the social ritual of Kaffee und Kuchen — coffee accompanied by cake, a moment for conversation and music. At the Mendelssohns', this last time spilled over into the famous Sonntagsmusiken, the Sunday concerts that Fanny conducted in the garden room of the family villa.

The emblematic beverage of cultivated Berlin salons, coffee is the thread running through the Mendelssohns' life: it fuels long working evenings, seals literary conversation, and opens musical afternoons. More than a drink, it's the fuel of a family that thinks, reads, and composes late into the night.