If you ever have been to Vienna you might have spotted that there is a great quantity of cafes which offer the standard ‘Wiener Melange’ and further coffee specialties. But what’s so interesting about coffee in Vienna? Thereis a long history behind it.

We all know that the utilization of coffee came from Africa. From there it was brought to Arabia, where it was known atroughly five hundred AD. When the Turks occupied most of Eastern Europe under the Othman Empire, they made the utilization of coffee known in those regions. Still, there had been a clear line of distinction between oriental and occidental cultures, and the use of coffee was one item. Until 1683.

At that time the Turks had come to Vienna and encircled the city. They nearly succeeded in their menacing quest, but ultimately an army came along from Poland and fought the invaders off.
Now, legend tells us the Turks left so hastily, that they didn’t remember to take their coffee with them. The inhabitants from Vienna didn’t recognize it, thinking it was compost of the camels – animals similarly unknown to them. Only a certain Kolschitzky is claimed to have known, what coffee beans were used for, so he collected every one of them and opened the first cafe in Vienna.

The reality is subtley different. Whereas there had been a man called Kolschitzky, who was an Austrian scout of Polish origin, during the war versus the Turks, and even if he also was permitted to open a cafe in’Domgasse’ in Vienna in 1686, he wasn’t the first one. The first Viennese cafe was founded a year before by an Armenian called Johannes Diodato ( Owanes Astouatzatur ). Being born in Constantinopel he allegedly knew coffee and the way to use it. But Kolschitzky is claimed to have made-up the filtering of the coffee and to mix it with milk.

However, there’s no uncertainty the Austrians came to understand coffee through the Turks – and when the cultural border line well was crossed, coffee made its victory procession throughout western Europe also. In the next century the Dutch used their colonies to cultivate coffee there, so getting sufficient supply to the Old World.

At present there are an enormous quantity of coffee beans, all of them tasting subtly different. There are numerous paths to treat the beans, before you taste the final product. Roasting is only one method ( the lighter roasted, the’grainier’, more acid, the taste of your coffee will be ), you can pulverize it nearly, and ultimately you can cook it, brew it or make an Espresso-type of coffee.

Here we want to give you an idea of what sort of coffee you can get in a Viennese’Kaffeehaus’.

Only one word about the history of making coffee :
‘Turkish coffee’ : using a copper-pot, you pour the well ground coffee, sugar and water into it, mix it while boiling and serve the mix in a ( little ) cup. You’ve got to hang on a minute, until the coffee powder has sunk, it’ll then stay at the base of the cup. This strategy is still employed in south-eastern Europe.

Boiling coffee is also often used today in northerly Sweden, not at least by the native folk of the North, the Lapps. This is usuallyas it is the most straightforward way to make coffee over an open fire.

Boiling the coffee was the sole alternative until the coffee filter was made-up, by a German lady. Her name was Melitta, and the Melitta-filter is still a classic brand. Since that time we have the possibility to brew coffee too. Finally Espresso-machines began to be used, and today almost all coffee you ask for in cafes is of Espresso-type.

At this point you possibly will want to try the coffee in a real Viennese Kaffeehaus. So don’t hesitate and reserve your city tour to the austrian capital. In the centre you ‘ll find many Ferienwohnungen Wien. When you choose a Ferienwohnung Wien as accommodation you’ll have the perfect place to begin to discover the town with all its cafes.