The coffee culture in Frankfurt

There are many places in the metropolis on the River Main where one is able to take some rest while enjoying the myriad pleasures of the city’s coffee scene. 

Frankfurt’s coffeehouses are as diverse as the city itself. Here, the coffee culture is traditional, international, original and experimental! And yet, the city’s caffeine bars also have one particularly important  thing in common – their high degree of quality. 

A popular German-language culinary magazine 'Feinschmeckers' recently rated 525 of Germany’s best places to enjoy coffee and cake. Unsurprisingly, Frankfurt fared very well in this national comparison.

Wackers Café

The family business of Luise Wacker has been proffering its coffee creations for more than a century. The time-honoured establishment is also known to have been Frankfurt’s very first coffeehouse. It’s no wonder then that this small café is a true Frankfurt institution, a traditional coffee shop looking back on a long and storied past. 

What’s more, Wackers Café is famous beyond Frankfurt’s city limits. Featuring its very own roasting house, it produces more than 40 different coffee and espresso variations. The establishment also places great value on the 'fair trade' philosophy when purchasing coffee beans.

Kaffeerösterei Wissmüller

Kaffeerösterei Wissmüller is yet another time-honoured Frankfurt roasting house. Located in the heart of Leipziger Straße, a popular Frankfurt shopping street, one finds a rustic café known as Stern. It is nostalgic in its style, featuring coffee dispensers, a large set of traditional coffee scales and an old coffee grinder. Customers sit at small tables that feature old coffee sacks as tablecloths. During summer, the picturesque inner courtyard is a popular place for enjoying a freshly brewed cup of coffee.

Glückskaffee 

Surrounded by unusual coffee variations and confectioneries, guests of Glückskaffee have plenty of unique specialities to choose from. The highlights of the coffeehouse, owner-operated by Martina Rönn, are the two proprietary coffee blends the “wild coffee” and the so-called “kaffa”. This coffee variation grows outside on trees and is picked by the growers themselves. Other popular delicacies include 'bacci', an Italian-style chocolate and hazelnut kiss, almond biscuits, tartufo, and pistachio biscuits.

Naschmarkt am Dom

Nearby, at Naschmarkt am Dom, customers are given the chance to escape the hustle and bustle of the big city. On the café’s ground floor, guests sit on traditional, Viennese-style coffeehouse chairs. On the top floor, things are even cosier, with the clientele relaxing on comfortable French armchairs. The establishment’s garden exudes a Mediterranean atmosphere in the style of the Côte d’Azure. Regardless of where one sits, visitors are served only the best that Frankfurt’s coffee culture has to offer – from traditional Italian espresso to the Naschmarkt special, coffee with cream, the famous Frankfurt Crown Cake liqueur and brittle. Americano, affogato, cortado and chai latte are of course also part of the menu.

The Espresso Bar

Having entered The Espresso Bar, one immediately feels transported back in time. The interior, designed with much attention to detail, and the busy baristas make guests feel as if they’re back in the 1920s! Here, perfection and culinary pleasure are top priority, which is why the café offers only a small but very good selection of coffees. Homemade pies and pastries are also part of the assortment, including the Portuguese speciality, pastel de nata.

Aniis

Aniis, meanwhile, is a hidden gem situated in Frankfurt’s East End district, just a few short steps from the new European Central Bank building. Guests will find it to be a cosy café exuding much African flair. Whether you prefer a latte macchiato, a cappuccino or one of the many 'dripped coffee’ variations, your taste buds are guaranteed a treat. There’s also outdoor seating for al-fresco breakfasts or a homemade lunchtime snack. The Moroccan-style cuisine on offer includes plenty of vegan dishes and tries to do without meat wherever possible.

IIMORI Patisserie

IIMORI Patisserie takes French and Japanese delicacies and blends them into a delectable selection of sweet treats. Those who like unusual products will feel right at home here. The patisserie’s bakehouse is particularly well known for its exotic cakes, tarts and pies. IIMORI naturally also has a number of green tea-flavoured delicacies. There’s also an excellent selection of tea and coffee specialities. The stylish patisserie features an aesthetic blend of designer furniture.

Café im Liebieghaus

Café im Liebieghaus is an idyllic and highly cultured place where people with a penchant for art come to enjoy a brief respite. The café’s interior impresses with a cosy fireplace lounge, medieval-style arches and winged chairs set before a warm hearth. The beautiful Italian-style inner courtyard belonging to the museum café is another excellent place to spend a few quiet moments. Menu favourites include the wonderful cakes and the many quiche varieties.

Tip: Maximise your coffee experience with a slice or two of Frankfurt’s most popular confectionery, Frankfurt Crown Cake, which consists of alternating layers of biscuits rings, buttercream and redcurrant jelly. Once completed, the cake is garnished with brittle and decorated with cream roses and cocktail cherries.

Move over Oktoberfest, Stuttgart Beer Festival is here

Everyone knows about the Oktoberfest beer festival that takes place in Munich every year. But a little-known beer festival that is held in Stuttgart annually is where the spotlight is likely to be now.

Stuttgart's traditional festival is one of the biggest in the world. Held from September 23 to October 9, 2016, the Cannstatter Wasen is held on a 37-hectare site on the banks of the Neckar. Oh, and its free entry!
 

For 17 days, visitors from many different nations and generations will laugh, sing and make merry in the exuberant atmosphere of the Cannstatt Beer Festival. Around four million people from all corners of the globe visit the 'wasen' which translates to festival in English. 

The original harvest festival has developed into a popular public celebration with an international impact. On the last Friday in September the seven beer tents, the two wine tents and the Alpine Village will open their doors to the public and the fairground rides will get under way. 

Round about the Fruit Column, the historic symbol of the traditional festival, 330 showmen, hosts and stallholders have a wide variety on offer. A double-looping roller coaster, autoscooters or Chair-O-Planes: modern attractions or old favourites – they're all here at the Wasen. In the festival tents hearty dishes such as grilled knuckle of pork, fried steak or Swabian 'Maultaschen' (filled pasta) are served to go with the mugs of beer.

The first festival on the Cannstatter Wasen was held 198 years ago. Originally the idea of King Wilhelm I of Württemberg and his consort, Queen Katharina, it began as a combination of a festival for the general public and an agricultural fair, with horse racing and prizes awarded for cattle breeding, and was intended to aid the recovery of Württemberg's battered economy in the aftermath of the Napoleonic Wars.

The very first Stuttgart Beer Festival opened on 28th September 1818, the day after the king's 36th birthday. The fact that 2015 is the 170th and not the 197th anniversary of this merry traditional festival is easily explained: by order of King Karl, the Wasen was held only biennially from 1882 onwards, and this continued up to the king's death in 1891. This, along with the repercussions of the two World Wars, resulted in Stuttgart having to go without its festival for 28 years in all.

Festival opening times:
Monday to Thursday: 12 noon to 11pm
Friday and prior to public holidays: 12noon to midnight
Saturday: 11 am to midnight
Sunday and public holidays: 11 am to 11 pm

Facts:
Total seats: 35.000
Festival tents: 7 beer tents, 2 wine tent, an Alpine Village

At leisure in Germany

Note: This article appeared in the June 2009 issue of Express TravelWorld. For more read here: http://www.expresstravelworld.com/20090630/management04.shtml

Germany is popular for MICE the world over, and the recent German Travel Mart 2009 was proof enough. However, the main agenda of the B2B exhibition was to promote leisure tourism. By Hazel Jain

Some are of the opinion that Germans are very organised - almost to the point of being mechanical. Whether there is any truth in that, I cannot say, but this year's German Travel Mart (GTM 2009) did impress me. It not only exemplified a well-organised trade event, but also showcased the region's MICE capabilities while actively promoting leisure tourism.

According to German National Tourist Board (GNTB), there were 379 suppliers showcasing their products to about 650 representatives of the international travel market. Held in the little-known Hanseatic city of Rostock (on the Baltic coast) in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern from May 10-12, the 35th edition of GTM was clear on its agenda - to reach out to the international markets and promote its other side of tourism: leisure. For this, Germany will push itself as a mono destination instead of just being part of a European package.

These well-defined objectives are important to Germany, especially at a time when the global economy threatens to weaken its firm grounding. The destination had so far concentrated on its domestic market (which obviously earned it huge returns) and the rest of Europe. If the international market was mentioned, it was in the same breath as MICE. Not anymore. Germany wants to diversify its markets and is now eager to show its leeward side to the rest of the world. It has therefore chosen 'Active Holidays - Hiking, Cycling and Lifestyle' as its main theme this year.

India Pool

After a disorderly run in the Chinese market, Germany is approaching its Asian cousin with more caution and better planning. Hence the India Pool. The GNTB created an Indian pool with 14 German partners in 2008 through which it promotes campaigns in India. The partners intend to invest an additional 1.5 millioneuros in it over the next three to five years.

The GNTB has already started different marketing campaigns with a few Indian operators. One of them is a new image film that will be shown at all events staged by the partners. Petra Hedorfer, CEO of GNTB, says, "The use of endorsements, advertising and poster campaigns will further increase awareness of Germany in India as a leisure destination. The planned market-specific GNTB extranet and the new sales folder will provide in-depth information about German regions for the Indian trade as well as details of Indian restaurants and service providers in Germany. We have also launched 'activity weeks' with our partners this year in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata and Delhi."

The India Pool consists of Bavaria Tourism Marketing, Munich Tourism, Munich Airport, Tourism Marketing Company of Saxony, Berlin Tourism Marketing, Berlin Airports, Magic Cities Germany, Fraport AG, Accor Germany Smard, Stuttgart Marketing, Tourism and Congress Company Frankfurt am Main, Cologne Tourism, Top of Germany - Garmisch-Partenkirchen and the Zugspitze as well as tour operator Alpha Travel.

Roadmap for agents

According to Hedorfer, GNTB has a budget of 36.4 million euros for 2009 internationally. She, however, refuses to specify the size for India, indicating only that "our investments there are pretty high". She adds, "The focus of all our activities worldwide is on B2B and this also applies for the Indian market. Our most important partners are the trade and we are in steady contact with them through our Delhi office. India ranks number five among all our overseas markets with 4,22,000 overnight stays in 2008. We expect about 7,50,000 overnights from India for the near future as it is a very young market."

China isn't too far behind. "In Asia, China is growing fast and is one of the future markets. We expect it to get to the lead position in 2015 with 20,00,000 overnights," she reveals. For the B2C segment, it has 35 different websites in 22 languages worldwide with extensive information.

The biggest challenge in the Indian market, according to Hedorfer, is to position Germany as a mono destination. And here is where the agents come in. This year's GTM saw the largest-ever contingent from India with 17 operators. Agents will not only have to bring in more leisure tourists, but also convert business travellers. "A tool for this is already in place. Our e-book (www.germany-ebook.de), developed especially for the Indian market, shows the many sides of Germany in a very enjoyable way and is available in English, Hindi, Bengali and Punjabi," she reveals. GNTB isn't leaving out social networking sites in India either and is already present on Facebook in Austria.

So, apart from the little issue of direct connectivity (with direct flights only to Munich and Frankfurt from India), Germany seems to be all set to woo India - it even has the affordability angle in place. Germany has always been among the more cheaper destinations in Europe and it is now being promoted as 'Affordable Hospitality: Destination Germany. Great deals. Easy booking.' Let's see if India takes the bait.

Supplier Speak

Kai-Michael Stybel Wismar Tourism How was GTM 2009 for you? It was very successful indeed. Wismar Tourism attends the GTM every year but this year was special as it took place in our home state, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. This is the former East of Germany, which means it has been in existence only since the reunification of Germany in 1990. It is popular among domestic tourists but the international market does not know it as a tourist destination in Germany. It will therefore be a challenge for us to gain international publicity. But its title as UNESCO World Heritage site will obviously help.   Did you meet any Indian buyers? Yes I did. The Indian buyers appeared very interested as all of them had made prior appointments for the workshop. Of course they hadn't heard of Wismar before but they showed a lot of enthusiasm. I am already negotiating tours with a few of them. What can Indian travellers looks for in Wismar? As a UNESCO World Heritage site by the sea, we can offer guided city tours, harbour cruises, presentations on sparkling wine or beer with tastings with more than 200 old breweries in Wismar. Vegetarian food is a precondition, I suppose. The German cuisine might not be famous for its vegetarian food, but this could definitely be worked out. What interested me a lot was understanding vegetarianism as a religious fact. Do you have specific plans for the Indian market? Yes I do. Wismar would definitely be too small as a single destination for somebody coming all the way from India. And accessibility is a crucial precondition for tourism. Therefore it would be important to promote it together with neighbouring destination like Hamburg, Berlin and Schwerin. Rostock itself is the most metropolitan place in Meckleburg-Western Pomerania and less than an hour’s drive from Wismar. It is also the gateway to Denmark, which is just two hours away by ferry. To promote this kind of product, we would need partners in India. How will you sell your product in India? I am unaware of the preferences of Indian travellers. So we will need our partners in India who, first of all, need to be convinced enough to promote Wismar. They will have to educate us about the basics we would have to achieve to meet the expectations of Indian travellers. Therefore, I cannot describe Wismar to Indian travellers. But I am willing to find out how. We can offer perfect accommodation, products for leisure activities, culture, impressive architecture of Red-Brick-Gothic, which is something unique in the Baltic region and the authenticity of a medieval township in northern Europe. How much will be achieved is anybody's guess but at least we will have paved the way.