flipNewsroom Black Coffee
Newsroom Black Coffee
Why this dish? We know that Bly, like many active New York women, fueled herself with strong coffee. To finish an article or stay awake on a train racing across the country, this black, bold coffee was her true travel companion.
A coffee made the old-fashioned way: coarsely ground, steeped in boiling water, clarified with an eggshell, then served piping hot and black. Bitter, straightforward, no-nonsense — like a telegram.
Ask me my secret for staying awake when the city sleeps: it's this coffee, black as the ink in my pen! I wanted it strong, never those pale brews served in boarding houses. We'd throw ground coffee into the pot, boiling water over it, a crushed eggshell to make all the grounds sink to the bottom — and voilà, a clear, strong coffee. A steaming cup, and I'm off again, notebook in hand, ready to race around the world.
- •Freshly ground coffee (coarse grind) — a good spoonful per cup (body and bitterness)
- •Boiling water — as needed (extraction)
- •Crushed eggshell — one (clarifies by clumping the grounds)
Newsroom Black Coffee
A coffee made the old-fashioned way: coarsely ground, steeped in boiling water, clarified with an eggshell, then served piping hot and black. Bitter, straightforward, no-nonsense — like a telegram.
Why this dish? We know that Bly, like many active New York women, fueled herself with strong coffee. To finish an article or stay awake on a train racing across the country, this black, bold coffee was her true travel companion.
Ask me my secret for staying awake when the city sleeps: it's this coffee, black as the ink in my pen! I wanted it strong, never those pale brews served in boarding houses. We'd throw ground coffee into the pot, boiling water over it, a crushed eggshell to make all the grounds sink to the bottom — and voilà, a clear, strong coffee. A steaming cup, and I'm off again, notebook in hand, ready to race around the world.
Ingredients (period version)
- Freshly ground coffee (coarse grind) — a good spoonful per cup (body and bitterness)
- Boiling water — as needed (extraction)
- Crushed eggshell — one (clarifies by clumping the grounds)
Ingredients
- Coffee beans, coarsely ground — 30 g (≈ 4 tbsp) (body and bitterness)
- Water at just below boiling (≈ 95 °C) — 500 ml (extraction)
- Eggshell from one egg, crushed (optional) — 1 (old-fashioned clarification)
Method
- Grind the coffee coarsely and place it in a saucepan or French press.
- Pour the hot water over the grounds and let steep for 4 minutes.
- For the period method: add the crushed eggshell, stir, let the grounds settle for 1 minute.
- Filter (or press the plunger) and serve piping hot, black, in a thick mug.
How it was made : Before modern drip coffee, coffee was boiled with water; an eggshell (or a bit of egg white) served to 'clarify' by dragging the grounds to the bottom. Coffee in boarding houses and newsrooms was often strong and reheated all day on the corner of the stove.
The contemporary twist : Served black, without sugar, in a thick mug placed next to an open notebook: the reporter's 'deadline coffee.'
Sources : Nellie Bly, Around the World in Seventy-Two Days (1890) · Marion Harland, Common Sense in the Household (1871)
Nellie Bly · Charactorium
