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It is not a secret that the classical composer Ludwig van Beethoven was passionate about his morning coffee.

Earliest written evidence about his connection to the coffee beans comes from his journal made during his first visit to Vienna in December of 1792.

When he arrived in Vienna he prepared a grocery and shopping list. The things on his list were the ones you’d expect in a basket of a classical composer.

Items like wig-maker, overcoat, boots, shoes, pianoforte-desk, seal, writing-desk, and pianoforte-money. But those items were not the ones that piqued our interest.

There was one special item written in bold letters and underlined -  coffee.

How to make coffee the way Beethoven liked it

Historians often note that he would meticulously count coffee beans. Sixty, to be exact.

 He meticulously hand-counted the beans and sometimes he would double-check.

Although this story sounds like something he would do, there is no credible evidence for this anecdote.

 We don't know what tools Beethoven used to make his 60-beans coffee, but the amount of the grounds provided by 60 beans could be an indicator.

 That exact number of beans produces about 8 grams of ground coffee which is enough to make a shot of espresso. And at that time espresso hadn't even been invented yet!

The Bach-Beethoven Connection

Like Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach was seemingly addicted to coffee and is said to have consumed up to 30 cups a day.

One thing is sure though - He loved coffee so much that he wrote a Coffee Cantata (Schweigt stille, plaudert nicht, BWV 211).

In This Cantata a father demands that his daughter gives up her coffee addiction so that she can find a suitable husband.

She ultimately decides to marry, but only after she has found someone who loves coffee as much as she does.