Germany · Rheingau
Asbach brandy flamed with sugar, topped with coffee and sweetened cream. A 1957 invention and a Rhine institution.
Rüdesheimer Kaffee is Asbach brandy and sugar flamed in a special cup, topped with hot coffee and sweetened whipped cream with chocolate flakes.
Invented in 1957 by Hans Karl Adam for a German television cooking programme, using Asbach Uralt — the brandy produced in Rüdesheim on the Rhine.
Unusually for a traditional drink, its invention is precisely documented.
Three sugar cubes and 40 ml of Asbach in a warmed cup. Light it and stir until the sugar dissolves, about a minute — the flame burns off some alcohol and caramelises the sugar.
Fill with hot filter coffee, leaving room. Top with sweetened whipped cream and dark chocolate flakes.
The northern German version uses rum and unsweetened cream, and does not flame. Both are drunk through the cream without stirring.
A specific tall Rüdesheimer cup is traditional and any heatproof handled glass works.
Flaming spirits needs care and a clear space. Use a long match and keep the bottle well away.
The equipment this actually requires — not a shopping list, the shortest route to doing it properly.
1.25 L · 92–96 °C brew · copper element · SCA certified
Hits proper brew temperature in about four minutes and holds it, which is the entire job and which almost no cheap drip machine does. Hand-built in the Netherlands, repairable indefinitely, and priced accordingly.
Best for: A household that drinks filter coffee by the pot, every day, for years.
≈ $360 / £280 / 300 €
