Black as the devil,
Hot as hell,
Pure as an angel,
Sweet as love.

This epigram is traditionally attributed to Talleyrand as a witty, worldly description of coffee—especially in the style favored in elite European salons where he moved with ease as a diplomat and political operator. The lines reflect the early modern fascination with coffee as both a fashionable stimulant and a quasi-medicinal drink, often discussed in moral and sensual terms. While the attribution to Talleyrand is widespread in quotation collections, it typically appears without a precise occasion (speech, letter, or memoir entry) and seems to circulate as a salon-style bon mot rather than a documented remark tied to a specific date or setting.

The lines compress a sensory and moral paradox into a memorable recipe for perfection. Coffee should be “black” and “hot” in physical terms, yet “pure” and “sweet” in the experience it offers—invoking religious and romantic imagery (“devil,” “hell,” “angel,” “love”) to elevate a mundane beverage into a miniature allegory. The contrast also reflects a salon taste for antithesis: the best pleasures can look severe and even infernal, while remaining refined and comforting. Read more broadly, it suggests that appearances (darkness, heat) can mislead, and that true quality lies in an inner purity and balanced sweetness.

1) “Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love.”
2) “Black as the devil, hot as hell, pure as an angel, sweet as love—coffee.”