During the Siege of Vienna, the then King of Poland - the infamous Jan Sobieski III - fought a brave battle against the Ottoman Turks, driving them out of the city, saving Vienna - and thereby liberating the whole of Central and Eastern Europe!
One of the King's men - a royal spy by the name of Jerzy Kulczycki - played an especially important role, leading to the victory. By infiltrating the Turkish camp to bring advance word of Sobieski's rescue plan to the Viennese, the combined forces of the Polish Knights and the people of Vienna managed to cast out the Turkish forces.
So grateful was the King to Jerzy Kulczycki that he granted him a special wish...
"You may take whichever treasure you desire from the city", he said.
Rather than choosing precious stones, gold, or other wonders from the abandoned Turkish camp, the clever spy asked for the several hundred sacks of coffee beans left behind - previously thought to be camel fodder. Using these he opened Vienna's first coffee house, on Domgasse Street.
Sobieski took coffee back with him to the Commonwealth, which became a favorite drink in Polish high-society - thereafter quickly becoming popular throughout the rest of Europe.
And the rest, as they say, is history!
Amber, or 'Baltic Gold', has been found on the shores around Gdansk for millennia, and traded here for centuries. Indeed, as something of a global centre for amber trade, Gdansk's prosperity during Sobieski's reign was funded in no small part by the golden stone.
Amber was not just used to make jewelry or as currency, it was also brewed into all manner of potions and cocktails to cure ailments and give special powers - as people thought amber to have magical properties (something which many of us still believe to be true to this day)!
Gdansk Amber Coffee, ground locally from the finest beans, should be enjoyed as an everyday luxury - ideally with friends and good conversation.
