The Most Famous Coffee Drinkers in History
The first step is admitting you have a problem… luckily we’re not alone! Throughout history, coffee (addiction) has fueled some of the most innovative and intellectual minds ever to have graced this planet. Here are just a few who harnessed the power of coffee:
- Ludwig Van Beethoven
Born in 1770 Bonn, Germany, Beethoven was a composer, pianist, and avid coffee enthusiast. Just as with his music, it’s the precision with his coffee that we find impressive. He used precisely 60 beans to make each and every cup.
2. Thomas Jefferson
In 1824, Jefferson declared coffee “The favorite drink of the civilized world!” Though it’s hard to take his likely political aversion to British tea at face value, the man had a point. It is noted too that during his time in Paris and Monticello, he frequented the coffee scene quite regularly. He even confessed to consuming a pound a day during his retirement.
3. Voltaire
The French writer, historian, and philosopher loved his coffee. A bit atypical though, he concocted a mixture of coffee and chocolate of which he drank over 40 cups a day. We haven’t attempted this unorthodox recipe ourselves, but coming from a guy who lived to 83 in the 1700s, he must have been doing something right.
4. Benjamin Franklin
Another founding father on the coffee train, Ben Franklin was into coffee culture before it was cool. He would hold meetings, social gatherings, study, and play chess at coffee houses around the U.S. and Europe. He would even get his postal mail sent to his neighborhood coffee cafe.
5. Johann Sebastian Bach
Bach loved his coffee so much he wrote a piece about it, The Coffee Cantata. He was known to frequent Leipzig’s Zimmermann Coffee House, where the piece was likely premiered. The city of Leipzig had just passed mandates limiting coffeehouse hours, fearing it was a gateway drug. It’s good to know that Bach, just like us coffee enthusiasts, had a sense of humor.
6. Gertrude Stein
The novelist, poet, and legendary 1920s Paris resident Gertude Stein loved coffee beyond just its physical properties. She appreciated the virtues and intellect a well made cup can brew up: “Coffee gives you time to think. It’s a lot more than just a drink; it’s something happening. Not as in hip, but like an event, a place to be. Not like a location, but like somewhere within yourself. It gives you time, but not actual hours or minutes, but a chance to be, like be yourself, and have a second cup.”
7. Jerry Seinfeld
The comedian, actor, producer, and writer has brought coffee to the forefront of pop culture with his delightful ‘Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee’ series. And as anyone who’s watched the show will tell you, the true vehicle for conversation isn’t the car… it’s the coffee! This guy simply gets the power behind the grind. “We want to do a lot of stuff. We’re not in great shape. We didn’t get a good night’s sleep. We’re a little depressed. Coffee solves all these problems in one delightful little cup.”