Was it Sobieski who brought coffee to Poland?

Many of us cannot imagine a morning without aromatic coffee — or an entire day without at least one strong, fragrant cup. How did coffee become so popular in Poland? Whom should we thank for bringing it here? Here is a brief look at the history of coffee in Poland.

A drink from the East

The custom of drinking coffee reached Poland in the seventeenth century through contact with Ottoman-controlled territories, including Moldavia. Its flavour did not immediately win everyone over.

The Baroque poet Jan Andrzej Morsztyn openly criticised it, describing it as an unpleasant, poisonous drink unfit for a Christian mouth. For Wacław Potocki, author of The Chocim War, coffee symbolised the Ottoman Empire, with which Poland was in conflict. It was condemned both as unpalatable and as supposedly harmful.

Nevertheless, it found supporters among the nobility. Jan Sobieski, later king of Poland, enjoyed it, as did Bohdan Khmelnytsky, the Cossack hetman.

Did Sobieski bring coffee to Poland? That is a popular myth. Poles had encountered it earlier through trade with Eastern Europe and Asia. Khmelnytsky, more than thirty years older than Sobieski, is said to have discovered it during Ottoman captivity after the Battle of Cecora in 1620.

In this account, the hetman should therefore be counted among its early enthusiasts rather than crediting the later Polish king alone. Trade connections through his first wife's brother also gave him continued access to coffee.

Another admirer was Adam Czartoryski, who wrote a one-act comedy entitled Kawa — “Coffee”.

Growing enthusiasm

Coffee gradually gained supporters and entered fashionable society. Gdańsk was an important example, with early coffee houses known by the German name Kaffeehaus. Its port and sea-trade connections made importing coffee from distant countries possible.

At first, it remained a luxury affordable mainly to the wealthy. As its popularity grew, townspeople, especially in Gdańsk, began to enjoy it too.

Articles in publications such as Monitor and Patriota Polski helped improve its reputation, praising its qualities and its ability to encourage work. Historical writers also regarded it as an aid for digestive complaints, attributing invigorating powers to its strong aroma and distinctive taste.

Coffee becomes part of Polish daily life

During the eighteenth century, coffee became established in everyday rituals. Józef Epifani Minasowicz helped bring a Polish-language monograph on coffee to publication, associated with the Jesuit and orientalist Tadeusz Krusiński.

It was no longer exclusively a drink for elites. In Opis obyczajów za panowania Augusta III, Jędrzej Kitowicz noted its popularity among craftspeople and prosperous peasants.

Polish readers also gained guides such as Krótka wiadomość o kawie i jej właściwościach i skutkach na zdrowie ludzkie spływających, a short account of coffee, its properties and its effects on health.

The coffee-drinking ceremony

Imported de mocca coffee from Turkey was particularly sought after, while beans arriving from India were also popular. Coffee's growing appeal encouraged the production of porcelain and earthenware.

Initially, people drank it in the Turkish style: strong and black. Later, cream, sugar and herbs were added. Coffee prepared with rich additions became associated with Polish hospitality, while plain black coffee was especially linked with fasting periods.

Aristocrats continued to visit cafés, which multiplied in the larger cities. In landed households, however, coffee had its own ceremony. A servant known as the kawiarka was employed to grind the coffee, collect the best cream and bring the prepared drink to the household in bed.

Does that sound familiar? Adam Mickiewicz described the coffee-making ritual in Pan Tadeusz. It is a vivid reminder of the place coffee held in the life of historic Poland.