“Self-discipline implies some unpleasant things to me, including staying away from chocolate.”

November 2009 marked 20 years since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and celebrations in Prague were held in Wenceslas Square, where Czechs gather to celebrate and demonstrate. The fall marked the end of the Iron Curtain and enabled the explosive growth of Eastern European countries to adapt from controlled economies to capitalist ones. In Eastern Europe, Germany unified, Poland liberalized and the Czech economy grew. Today, some of those economies are among the strongest in Europe, as citizens raced to embrace Western practices and products. Twenty years later, the results of this revolution can be seen in a cup of coffee.

Just off of Wenceslas Square is one of Coffee Heaven’s Prague locations, a Western-style café bar similar to the American chain Starbucks and the British company Costa. Coincidentally, those companies were both founded in 1971. Coffee Heaven is similar, with attractive locations, sleek graphics, good coffee drinks served in china or paper cups, well-trained baristas, comfortable chairs and free Wi-Fi access. They have become a favorite place to enjoy a good but expensive cappuccino and spend some free time with friends or working. Even more remarkable is that Coffee Heaven is based in Poland and has spread across Eastern Europe, operating hundreds of stores in formerly Communist-controlled countries. And imagining a Polish company competing successfully head to head with older, established brands is astonishing.

From a coffee perspective, 20 years ago Starbucks was a privately held Seattle coffee roaster with some retail stores, coffee consumption in the West was declining and coffee in Eastern Europe was not exactly renowned for its superb taste and flavor.

Thus the revolution in the coffee cup. A Polish company challenging two well-known, well-established brands, in an Eastern European city that 20 years ago could not even have imagined the concept of such a place. Locals and tourists alike walk through the streets of Prague holding cups of good coffee in their hands. And free Wi-Fi, allowing access to every possible point of view in places where information was once strictly controlled. Twenty years on, the world is a very different place, represented in part by the cup of coffee I enjoyed at Coffee Heaven in Wenceslas Square.

According to the Guinness World Book of Records, the largest chocolate bar ever made tipped the scales at 5,026 pounds. It was produced by Elah-Dufour United Food Companies at Turin, Italy, in March 2000.

“Once in a while I say, ‘Go for it’ and I eat chocolate.”

The Charles bridge stretches across the Vltava river, with a single tower on the right bank and two towers on the left. Built in 1358, the bridge epitomizes Prague, a town that for 1,000 years has been a cultural and commercial capital of Eastern Europe. The center of town is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and a person walking the cobblestone streets is transported back in time.

European coffee culture is said to have begun in Vienna in 1683, after the Poles helped stop the Ottoman army from invading the city. According to an apocryphal tale, a spy named Kolschitzky was instrumental in providing intelligence to the army, allowing for the defeat of the Turks. When the Turks fled, leaving behind their supplies, Kolschitzky recognized bags of coffee beans that they had brought along for their troops. When asked how he could be adequately repaid for his services, Kolschitzky asked for the beans in tribute. The request was granted, and Kolschitzky reputedly opened a café in neighboring Vienna. Its success led to other cafés opening in Europe, and Prague, the third-largest city in the world at the time, soon had cafés serving the new beverage.

The Bohemian culture of Prague includes quintessential cafés everywhere in the city, many serving espresso from well-known Italian brands such as Illy and Bristot. Grand establishments dot the city, where people drink their coffee, read their newspapers, smoke their cigarettes (a sight seldom seen anymore in the West, but decidedly adding to the ambiance) and argue politics and religion.

In addition, the city is home to small local cafés, such as Ebel, a tiny spot that offers an array of freshly roasted beans as well as specialty drinks. My Café Viennois was carefully made with beans for the drink being precisely measured and ground for each cup, then packed into the portafilter for the double espresso. Water was added to make an Americano, and then the drink was topped with steamed milk and mountains of whipped cream. Western coffee shops in Prague include Starbucks, Costa and Coffee Heaven, a chain based in Poland.

Coffee is everywhere in Prague, from a single espresso consumed at the counter of a café to elaborate drinks in glass to takeaway cups. Throughout the city, people were enjoying their coffee, either in the cafés or on the street. Although I doubt its veracity, I like to believe that the story of Kolschitzky and his first store in Vienna helped spread coffee throughout Europe and gives Prague its love for coffee.