Classical Music Legend Beethoven’s Obsession With Coffee Made Every Day With Exactly 60 Beans
The famous composer made sure each day started with a precisely made hot beverage
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Ludwig van Beethoven remains a legend in the music world. The work of the classical German composer and pianist is still revered nearly 200 years after his death. A man of precise disciplines, this included his unwavering obsession with coffee, which included starting every day with a cup of personally made java made from precisely 60 coffee beans.
Born in 1770, Beethoven was a prodigy, who learned first from his domineering father Johann van Beethoven, and then composer Christian Gottlob Neefe. Refining his talent as he grew older, his first significant orchestral piece, the First Symphony, debuted in 1800.
Although Beethoven increasingly lost his hearing as he aged, he didn’t let that stop him from developing one of the most noted musical careers in human history. Among his many works, he wrote nine symphonies, 16 string quartets, 32 piano sonatas and a choral music. Additionally, there were numerous other solo pieces and compositions — all work that is still performed around the world to this day.
People run on many different motivations. For Beethoven, his fuel was decidedly coffee. A man who might be described as obsessive compulsive, one of his proclivities was his daily ritual related to java. Like many, he relied on his daily brew to get going. However, he also had to make sure it was made in a very certain way. Every morning, he personally counted out exactly 60 coffee beans that were then ground and made into his morning cup. It had to be precisely 60; no more or no less.
By comparison, a modern cup of coffee requires around 70 beans. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean the musical genius was drinking watery java. Preparation methods and processing of beans have evolved over the years. Clearly, he was getting enough caffeine to keep him coming back to his cup day after day.
Even if Beethoven had guests, he continued his coffee procedure, counting out the necessary beans and then grinding and preparing the drink in a glass coffee pot. It’s not known exactly when the composer got into his coffee…
