Traditional cappuccino at Vienna Coffee House
For centuries, Viennese coffee houses have sustained a long-held reputation as a welcome gathering place for those seeking a quality espresso drink to savor over conversations with friends or while lingering over their favorite read. The Viennese coffee house atmosphere, unique to each one, is often referred to as the living room for the surrounding community. These characteristics carry across the pond into East Tennessee’s hometown craft coffee source, the Vienna Coffee Company.
Those not familiar with the history behind Vienna Coffee Company’s name often ask what inspired the name for owner, John Clark. The fall of 2022 marks Vienna Coffee Company’s 20th year fulfilling its mission to import and roast craft coffee that enriches the lives of customers and producers alike. So, let’s dive into the story behind the name.
“It’s actually a matter of serendipity”
With a flashback to the year 2000, John shares the history of investing in a Miami coffee shop with his brother. That coffee shop already bore the name of Vienna Coffee, and, at that time, John had his first roaster privately cranking out craft coffee from his garage for his family and friends (“the red roaster,” John affectionately says).
John still traveled extensively with his first career as a chemical engineer and often mentioned owning the Vienna Coffee House to fellow travelers. The details he shared usually received positive responses as others reflected on the high-quality flavors and experiences they associated with Vienna coffee. Soon John realized that the phrase Vienna coffee carries international recognition for the famous Viennese coffee houses of Vienna, Austria, not just the reputation of that first Miami coffee shop. Therefore, the name was a natural choice in 2001 as John moved his craft coffee roasting passion from a hobby into a licensed business. Although the Clark brothers sold the Miami-based coffee house in 2005, they ensured that they retained the rights to the Vienna Coffee Company name.
To understand the renowned reputation of Viennese coffee houses, we must slip back several hundred years to their legendary beginning. The legend unfolds around the 1683 Battle of Vienna and the efforts and war hero Yuri Kulczycki. As the Turkish tribes of the Ottoman Empire attempted to overtake Vienna, Kulczycki disguised himself as an Ottoman soldier to infiltrate the troops and capture vital information.
Illustration of Yuri Kulczycki
As the Ottomans withdrew from Vienna, they left behind bags of green coffee beans that most considered nothing more than camel feed. The legend reflects that, due to his background, Kulczycki knew precisely what the mysterious bags of beans could produce. He asked for the beans as payment in return for his contributions to the war effort and soon began roasting and brewing what is now recognized as Viennese coffee.
Through this legend, Kulczycki receives credit for opening the first Viennese coffee house, Hof zur Blaven Flasche (House under the Blue Bottle). He adapted the strong bitter Turkish coffee by adding milk and sugar to accommodate European tastes. The early coffee houses provided a custom color chart featuring varying shades of brown, from light to dark, so that patrons could choose their preference of coffee. From this beginning, coffee houses grew across Vienna and blossomed in the 1800s from 600 to over 1,000 by the early 1900s.
“As an absolute staple of the city’s culture, UNESCO recently named the Vienna coffee house on their list of the ‘National Agency for the Intangible Cultural Heritage.’
Within this inventory, the coffee house is described as a place ‘where time and space are consumed, but only the coffee is found on the bill.”
Reinhold Völkel’s “Café Griensteidl”, 1896
The classic Viennese coffee house often features high decorative ceilings and marble-topped tables with curvy-backed wooden Thonet chairs in settings of one to four. Stacks of newspapers are traditionally available for patrons to linger over while enjoying their impeccably brewed coffee drink (with a customary water served alongside). The shop styles vary and draw those across academic, political, social, and cultural interests. This design invites patrons to relax in comfortable surroundings to read the newspaper, converse, and visit without the timing restraints of most restaurants. They pride themselves on being considered the extended living rooms of their community. Therefore, you can imagine John’s pleasure when one of our customers described the Vienna Coffee House as “Maryville’s living room!”
Oil depiction of early Viennese coffee house ~artist unknown
John, and his wife Sue, traveled to Vienna in 2006 while their daughter studied abroad. Obviously, the trip included enjoying casual coffees at several Viennese coffee houses, and Café Sperl remains one of John’s favorite coffee houses to this day.
If you are planning your own trip to experience coffee Viennese -style, or, if you want to take a virtual trip, use the internet to discover just a few of the many coffee houses to explore in Vienna: Café Central, Café Landtmann, Café Frauenhuber, The Demel, Café Hawlka, & Café Sacher Wien.
These stories and experiences shape Vienna Coffee Company’s vision to be a market leader in craft coffee throughout the southeast by providing an excellent coffee experience. Whether you are enjoying your favorite espresso at the Vienna Coffee House in Maryville, grabbing a latte at one of our satellite locations, or ordering a bag of freshly roasted beans from our roastery to brew at home, remember to occasionally reflect on the story of Yuri Kulczycki, his magic bags of green coffee beans, and the origin of the Viennese coffee house.
Sources:
The coffee house legacy. (n.d.). Taste of Austria. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://www.tasteofaustria.org/the-coffee-house-legacy
Popova, Y. (2012, February 8). Tracing the coffee house revolution to its Ukrainian roots. BBC Travel. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20120124-tracing-the-coffee-house-revolution-to-its-ukrainian-roots
Puehl, D. (2015, January 17). The “house under the blue bottle” and Viennese coffee house myths. Wunderkammertales.Blogspot.Com. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from http://wunderkammertales.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-house-under-blue-bottle-and.html
Von Weigand, E. (2016, April 20). The captivating character of Viennese coffee culture. Culture Trip. Retrieved February 24, 2022, from https://theculturetrip.com/europe/austria/articles/the-captivating-character-of-viennese-coffee-culture/