Without it, half of the inventions, music, books and doctoral theses would not exist
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HI!!! Save yourself if you can.
I’m addicted to coffee! I drink 4 to 5 espressos a day, excluding cappuccino on Saturday and Sunday for breakfast.
The chemical description of Caffeine is: substance that appears in the composition of coffee beans, especially after roasting, in tea leaves, etc., endowed with stimulating, diuretic and anti-neuralgic properties.
Caffeine, that lady who activates, stimulates, massages and makes us work. Without it, half of the inventions, music, books and doctoral theses would not exist.
There is the drink, but we also have the places where we taste this unique delicacy. Not places, sacred temples of social interaction, well-being, contemplation, heated discussions, problem solving, meetings and disagreements of Humanity.
The coffee culture, the place, started in Vienna. Did you know that?
Now get up from your chair, prepare an espresso and turn up the volume to enjoy the melodies which will make your black liquid sip more smoothly and calmly.
Viennese cafés: where it all began
Landtmann, Hawelka, Prückel, Central, Sperl, Schwarzenberg, Frauenhuber, etc. (and so on, in German he is famous, etc.). Legend has it that after the siege by the Ottomans, now Turks, back in 1650, when they abandoned the outskirts of Vienna frustrated by the failed invasion attempt, some bags of a mysterious dark brown grain remained.
The Viennese, somewhat unaware of what it was about, kept the material for later analysis and, who knows, for use and consumption. Somehow, they discovered that it was some kind of coffee. A grain which, when toasted and ground – in the case of cereals, only toasted at different temperatures and pressures, altering its flavor and acidity – mixed with boiling water and filtered with a cloth or paper filter, was transformed into a black, robust grain, aromatic and extremely addictive.
The Viennese soon learned that excessive consumption of this dark elixir left those who consumed the precious liquid embarrassed. It was difficult to sleep immediately after drinking that coffee. After several trials and errors, they found the ideal parameters of temperature, pressure, amount of water and dust, arriving at a magic formula.
We all know that not a single bag of coffee is produced in Europe. The product is imported from the Americas and Africa, in particular from Ethiopia and Kenya. Coffees from Colombia, Brazil, Guatemala, Ecuador and Costa Rica stand out for several reasons.
Trieste is still the main port of entry for tons of baggage essential to the functioning of the Old World. It is no coincidence that right next to the port, that of the coffee brand with the red logo, there is the gigantic Illy factory.
This whole introduction was supposed to talk about Viennese cafés. It was in the Austrian capital that this culture began. If today you sit in a comfortable bar, with ambient music and drink your cappuccino, reading your book or working on the “lépi tópi”, thank your Austrian friends.
Hawelka is a time machine. She still smells of cigarettes and cigars, despite years of prohibition. Stronghold of intellectuals, artists, writers and politicians who governed and dismantled the society of the time, we still hear in its worn walls and carpets the echo of the heated discussions that changed the course of the arts, literature, politics and, because no, governments. There you can drink a Fiaker, named after the city’s carriages, a traditional coffee with rum. After a few hours you will leave reciting poetry hugged by an anonymous amateur writer.
The Landtmann is located opposite the Rathaus, Vienna’s town hall, and next to the Burgtheater, the city’s most famous theater. The classic program was and still is to have an aperitif at the Café, go to the theater to see an opera or a show and start the cycle again for dinner or to continue having a drink. It’s a Viennese institution that serves one of the best Wiener Schnitzels in the city. It was Freud’s favorite. The painter Oskar Kokoschka, the composer Gustav Mahler and the writer Thomas Mann were also regular visitors. Is it OK for you?!
Café Central, perhaps due to its location and grand piano, is the most famous in all tourist guides. It is located inside the Palais Ferstel and exudes tradition and aristocracy. The display of desserts will bring every Parisian pastry chef to their knees. Piano evenings are held every day, usually in the afternoon. The ideal is to arrive for lunch and stay to breathe in that unparalleled atmosphere, order a Strudel and a Melange while listening to Schubert, Strauss or List. If you come to Vienna and don’t go there, it’s like going to Rome and not visiting the Vatican. It is said that in 1913 Trotsky, Lenin and Stalin also had lively discussions in their living rooms.
Frauenhuber is less celebrated, but equally well known. It is located in a Gasse that leads to Kartner Straße, the shopping street between the Opera and the Stephansdom cathedral. It was opened in 1824 and is the oldest café in the city. Both Mozart and Beethoven played there between 1782 and 1791 for diners during dinner.
Café Prückel is located in a privileged position on the corner in front of the Stadtpark, the municipal park, in a square near Plachutta, another temple of local gastronomy. Prückel once had its glory days, but the pandemic brought its old tables and chairs to their knees. A brunch there with the autumn sun streaming through the windows and freshly served coffee seeping into your nostrils and down your throat is one of those moments when we are grateful for simply being alive.
Café Sperl is hidden on the corner of Mariahilfer Straße and Naschmarkt. Upon entering we felt that time had stopped there. On the walls hang newspaper clippings, a trademark of Viennese cafés, a wardrobe full of coats, waiters with an average age of 130, tables with small wooden dividers to try to filter conversations. And there’s even a pool table! A good book, a Melange and your afternoon will last 20 hours. Around 1897 the artistic movement of the Secession began.
Café Schwarzenberg, despite being in a great location on the banks of the Ring, is one of the least celebrated. Despite its decadent luxury, its desserts are still highly sought after. Most of the customers are locals as tourists prefer to go to the famous cafes mentioned above. It’s close to work, but I’ve rarely been there. A feather.
If I win the lottery one day I’ll have a bar like Phil. In addition to the Italian machine that produces wonderful liquids, they sell books and vinyl. Do you need more? I spent my hours between an espresso and another cognac, reading and listening to the good and the best. Paradise in Earth!
A list of 10 coffees that have inspired great artists and writers. Many are mentioned above.
Worth seeing and reading
FILM: Coffee and Cigarettes (2003), Jim Jarmusch
This black and white pearl, not surprisingly, was directed by Jim Jarmusch with special presences such as Iggy Pop and Tom Waits, his great friends.
There are a total of 11 short films showing various characters drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes and discussing various topics, such as caffeinated popsicles, Abbott & Costello, the resurrection of Elvis Presley, the correct way to brew English tea, inventions by Nikola Tesla, family disagreements, Paris in the 1920s, rock, hip hop and the use of nicotine as an insecticide.
It’s difficult to choose just one story as a favorite. The funny thing is that when we have a bad story, artists save the day. It’s a perfect series of stories, artists and, of course, coffee and cigarettes.
BOOK: I chose two, among many options: “World Atlas” by James Hoffmann and “Rota do Café – Fazendas de Minas Gerais” by Clesio Barbosa and Patrícia Soutto Mayor.
The “World Atlas” is a sort of world tour of coffee-producing countries, full of photos and informative texts. It shows the origins of coffee – where it is grown and by whom – and the cultures in which coffee has become a way of life. Then there is consumption, processing, tasting and notes, the consumer and what modern coffee culture is like.
“Rotas do Café” is a tourist guide to 30 agricultural producing companies, tourist attractions of the municipalities, illustrative maps and beautiful photos of the farms. They are for those who want to follow the trail of one of the greatest treasures of Minas Gerais: coffee.
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Source: Terra
Ben Stock is a lifestyle journalist and author at Gossipify. He writes about topics such as health, wellness, travel, food and home decor. He provides practical advice and inspiration to improve well-being, keeps readers up to date with latest lifestyle news and trends, known for his engaging writing style, in-depth analysis and unique perspectives.
