by Darren Oliver
The history of the development of coffee culture in different countries is fascinating. By following history, we can see for ourselves how prevailing material conditions influenced the development of coffee-making methods. But what if conditions make it impossible for people to have access to any brewing method? This is exactly the situation we will look at in this article. So let’s learn together about the history of Polish “plujka” (or, in literal translation “spit-it-out”) coffee.
Coffee Under Socialism
To understand exactly what “spit-it-out” coffee is, we need to look into the complicated history of Poland. After World War II, Poland became a socialist state. Destruction after the war, an unstable economic situation, and a high susceptibility to crises meant that Poland was not one of the rich countries. Many things that might have been taken for granted in other countries were luxury goods. The same was true of coffee-making devices, which were already experiencing a boom in popularity in the West. In Poland they simply… did not exist!
This is how “plujka” was born. The way it was brewed was very simple. If you have ever taken part in cupping, it will be familiar to you. Ground coffee beans were poured into a glass and then poured over boiling water. After that, one merely waited for it to cool and drank. Since there was no filtration, the bottom of the glass was filled with coffee grounds that people had to spit out once they got to the end of their cup – hence the name!
I mentioned the fact that the coffee was poured into the glass. This is also a phenomenon that should be noted, as these glasses were a phenomenon that distinguished the Eastern Bloc countries from the rest of the world – after all, most drink coffee from ceramic cups.
Glasses, on the other hand, were popular in Poland. However, due to shortages, they were not produced from good quality materials – they were made of thin, rather fragile glass. As a result, drinking coffee from them became difficult, as the walls heated up at an express pace, making it completely impossible to hold the glass in your hands. The solution turned out to be special “baskets” – usually metal or plastic – into which the glass was inserted. They made it possible to hold even a very hot glass in your hand.
These baskets could be beautifully decorated and even represent a person’s status, showing his class, good taste, and elegance. Special baskets were produced on the occasion of important events, such as the Sports Olympics.
Importantly, they were not the only indicator of status – the coffee itself was becoming one. As scarcity prevailed in Poland from the 1980s onward, coffee became a luxury good. Two types of coffee were available: cereal (made from roasted grains), and “natural” (made from low-quality beans). Wealthy people with contacts could enjoy coffee imported from abroad, or bought for dollars in special stores (called “Pewex”) with foreign products, not available to average citizens. Coffee was also becoming a means of payment – thanks to it one could get, for example, faster appointments at medical clinics, or other privileges.
The ordinary, gray citizen could only afford ordinary coffee, no coffee brewing devices were common in Poland. Thus, what remained was an ordinary, simple “zalewajka”.
Polish-Turkish Coffee – Fascinating Etymology of “Plujka”
It is also worth mentioning that the terms people used to call coffee of this type are amazing etymological curiosities. “Plujka” was, in fact, a term for all kinds of infusions, during the drinking of which something had to be spit out. Thus, the name was applied to both leaf tea (there were no paper brewing bags in Poland) and coffee.
Another common name was “zalewajka.” In Polish language “zalewać” means “to pour [a liquid over something],” so the literal translation would be “coffee that was poured with water.” Another interesting term was “kawa z gruntem” – “coffee with soil,” describing the appearance of grounds remaining at the bottom of the glass.
Most interesting, however, is the fact that the older generation still calls ground coffee… Turkish coffee! However, this brewing method with real Turkish coffee has nothing in common – Turkish coffee is boiled several times in a special saucepan. So where did the term come from? Although it’s impossible to trace its origins, it is suspected to be due to the similarity of this brewing method to “Turkish-style tea,” in which the leaves fall to the bottom of the glass. Today, in many older establishments still ordering Turkish-style coffee will simply get “pour-over” coffee.
Renaissance of “Plujka”
However, the coffee consciousness of Poles has increased since then. Today, Poland is one of Europe’s largest markets for coffee makers, and new roasters and specialty coffee shops are present in almost every city. Poland has many talented baristas succeeding internationally. For many years, the Polish coffee industry cut itself off from its heritage, treating it as a sign of times gone by.
However, with the development of the coffee industry came a certain nostalgia and a desire to return to the past, a focus on simplicity as a counterpoint to the often unnecessarily complicated modern brewing methods. Thus, “plujka” began to experience a renaissance.
Many roasters began to produce special blends dedicated “to the glass.” One of the first to do so was the Mastro Antonio roastery. Their coffee was interesting in that the blend constantly changed its composition, making each batch completely different.
More recently, the same idea was pursued by the HAYB roastery, which, in creating the blend “SIE ZALEWA” (a reference to the name “zalewajka”). The roastery tries to evoke a certain vibe of simplicity by saying, for example, that it is “the most EFFORTLESS coffee possible,” or encouraging a relaxed approach to brewing proportions.
The renaissance that “plujka” is experiencing can be seen not only in roasters but also in modern cafes. An example was the Alternatywy 4 café in Wroclaw (the name referring to the famous TV series from the time of the Polish People’s Republic), which did not serve coffee from pressure methods, but only alternative ones, including just “zalewajka” coffee. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the establishment had to close, which does not change the fact that its approach to coffee and the atmosphere of sentiment for the times when coffee was simpler is a sign of a certain trend in the world of specialty coffee.
Simplicity Is Key
With this article, we aimed to bring back the history of coffee, which, although it seems simple and mundane, is actually quite different. The overlap of complicated material conditions and the social context in which coffee functioned in Poland a few decades ago creates an amazing story, and this history provides a pretext for reflecting on the contemporary state of the coffee industry. Reaching back to the heritage and complementing it with the modern approach to coffee that characterizes the specialty scene can inspire coffee lovers. So try brewing a “plujka” coffee yourself and wonder if the power is sometimes in simplicity.