Coffee is one of the most popular beverages in the world, accompanying many of us almost every step of our lives. Thanks to it, we find the energy to work or study in the morning, enjoy it during meetings with family members, friends, or colleagues, and often purchase it as a gift for loved ones.
This beverage has captured the hearts not only of Poles but of almost the entire civilized world, which is why today we would like to briefly explore its history and the methods of brewing it developed over the centuries. We cordially invite you to read!
The history of coffee brewing - from bean to coffeehouse network
According to scientific legends, coffee arrived in our region from Ethiopia nearly two millennia ago. Supporting this, experts point to the etymology of the word itself, which is directly linked to one of the Ethiopian regions — Kaffa. Initially, the seeds were a dish in local cuisine, often eaten raw or with butter and salt. The idea of brewing coffee and preparing it as a beverage was first conceived by the Yemenis, but this happened many centuries later. If we avoid myths and legends and rely on clear historical accounts, we can establish that the earliest mentions of the drink that is the subject of this article date back to the 15th century. Soon after, coffee spread quite rapidly to other regions, including Persia, Egypt, Syria, and Turkey.
It is worth mentioning that coffee was enjoyed not only at home but also in many public cafes — called qahveh khaneh — which began to appear in cities across the Middle East. The popularity of cafes was very high, and citizens visited them for various social and cultural activities.
Later, at the end of the 16th century, coffee also made its way to the European continent. Historians indicate, however, that it did not immediately gain favor among locals. Initially, it was regarded as an exotic remedy or curiosity, and many attributed its origin to impure forces. This led to the intervention of the then Pope, Clement VIII, who publicly declared that this beverage did not come directly from the Devil.
Europe gradually became more interested in brewing coffee, and the first coffeehouse opened in England around 1650. It quickly gained a reputation as a healthy, tasty, and stimulating drink, which resulted in several thousand establishments serving coffee within just 20 years. Central Europe lagged behind in this regard, as during the same period, the first coffeehouse was only opening in France — but this situation changed rapidly, and unwarranted skepticism gave way to true coffee madness.
Beans of "black gold" most likely arrived in Poland from Turkey, thanks to Turkish merchants visiting the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. The first contact with coffee in our country took place around the 17th century, but it was not until the end of that century that Poles began to appreciate the beverage, and it stopped being regarded as a drink reserved solely for the elite. The first coffeehouses in Poland also opened during this period.
And today?
Regarding approaches to brewing coffee, a variety of sentiments and customs can be observed. The Turks, as mentioned earlier, preferred to drink coffee only after brewing, without adding any extras that they believed could negatively affect the aroma and organoleptic properties of the drink. Poles, in their rebelliousness and love of experimentation, began enriching their beverages with thick cream or rich milk — a mixture that quickly came to be known as “Polish coffee”.
Regardless of which type of beverage suits us best, it must be acknowledged that it has a remarkably rich and turbulent history — from a bean consumed in a corner of Ethiopia to a product so popular that entire networks of coffee shops are built around it, generating multi-billion profits worldwide. One thing is certain — without a “small black” in the morning or a delicious cappuccino to complement our afternoon dessert, our days would not be the same. All that remains is to enjoy the wide availability of coffee, its relatively affordable price… and to thank our ancestors for allowing us to discover it and teaching us how to prepare a full-flavored, aromatic drink from seemingly unremarkable dark beans!
