Mountain hikes and mountain sports in general are a particularly popular leisure activity these days. Especially now that autumn is fully runnning. The mountain regions around the Alps and the Alpine foothills are enjoying increasing popularity. Nature and the wonderful views help people to find their inner center again. As with everyday life, tasty coffee goes perfectly with a strenuous mountain tour. Normally, many coffee lovers prepare their coffee using a stovetop pot, AeroPress or a handy French press in the alpine heights. But now you can also enjoy high alpine coffee in the breathtaking mountains around Werdenfelser Land. To be more precise, at the Reintalangerhütte next to the crystal-clear Partnach at the far end of the Reintal and at the Oberreintalhütte, also known as the Franz-Fischer-Hütte. And in two huts in the Ammertal.
High alpine coffee enjoyment at the rear end of the Reintal - Reintalangerhütte
At the far end of the Reintal, right next to the raging mountain river Partnach, lies the listed former shepherd's lodge - the Reintalangerhütte. Surrounded by the steep walls of the Jubiläumsgrat, the high ridge and the Hochwanner, the hut was built in the 15th century. On August 27, 1820, the first people to climb the Zugspitze spent the night in the Reintalangerhütte. The small hut thus went down in the history books and was finally opened to all mountaineers in the 1880s.
High alpine coffee enjoyment – the Reintalangerhütte becomes famous
The hut developed into a popular tourist destination and simply became too small. So a new and larger Reintalangerhütte was built between 1912 and 1913. In 1973, the old Angerhütte was rebuilt and has served as a mattress camp ever since. Today, the historic hut is run by Andy Kiechle from Allgäu and his wife Julia. Andy worked at the Reintalangerhütte as a teenager and developed a close connection to this special place. In 2020, he seized the opportunity and, together with his wife Julia, realized his lifelong dream and has been the innkeeper of the Reintalangerhütte ever since.
High alpine coffee enjoyment – coffee in the mountains
Handmade, organic delicacies await you at the top - from classic snacks to homemade cakes, you have the best conditions for a decent boost after a demanding climb. And coffee also plays a big role up here! Andy and Julia start the morning with a fine filter coffee. The hut now even has its own coffee roasting facility. We use the best coffee from Peru, which is available light roasted for coffee specialties and dark roasted for espressos. Andy and Julia look forward to spoiling you with their regional delicacies.
High alpine coffee enjoyment in the Oberreintal at the Oberreintalhütte
Let's come to what is probably the most exciting hut when it comes to enjoying high-alpine coffee. It's the Oberreintalhütte, which is also known to locals as the Franz Fischer Hut. Fischer Franz was the landlord of the Oberreintalhütte for more than ten years - in two periods from 1934-39 and from 1948-53. Under Fischer's leadership, the small hut developed into a kind of "Grand Hotel" for mountaineering and enjoyed an exceptionally good reputation in the mountaineering scene.
High alpine coffee enjoyment – the hut and the coffee
So where does the connection to coffee come from? Franz Fischer was an avowed coffee fan. Unfortunately, coffee was in short supply during the Second World War, which meant that it could only be obtained in an adventurous way. The Oberreintalscharte was already extremely popular as an illegal border crossing and was considered a smuggling route par excellence. Since Franz Fischer already had a particularly good reputation and coffee was more readily available in Austria than on the German side, some fellow mountaineers would bring food sacks of roasted coffee up to Franz. Not only the name of the hut still reminds us of Franz Fischer, but the Oberreintal greeting (Hei, mi leckst am Arsch) was also created by him and is still known among climbers today.
High alpine coffee enjoyment - wild coffee
The hut itself was built in 1922 and recently celebrated its 100th anniversary. To this day, the Oberreintalhütte has remained very simple. Heating and cooking are done with a wood-burning stove, and there is also an outdoor shower and a camp for all mountaineers. Today, Anja Härtl is the landlady of the Oberreintalhütte. It is a classic self-catering hut, meaning Anja makes something of what the visitors, mostly climbers, bring to the hut. The range is complemented by high-quality coffee from our coffee roastery, because, just like in Franz Fischer's time, this is a must. At the Oberreintalhütte, Anja serves espresso and cappuccino made on the stove, as well as French press coffee. She uses the Brasil Capim Branco for this. If you have never been to the Oberreintalhütte, you should definitely visit this unique place.
High alpine coffee enjoyment in the Ammertal at the Hörnlehütte
Since the reopening in June 2024, our coffee has also been available in the Ammertal at the Hörnlehütte in Bad Kohlgrub. There you can get our Wilderer Espresso, our Brasil Capim Branco coffee and also the Greek Mountain herbal tea from Tea Spitz. The new tenants are Sara and Daniel Weisbrich from Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Sara Weisbrich was born in Kohlgrub and, like her husband, has many years of experience in the catering industry. She has spent the past ten years in a management position at the Klammhaus on the Partnach and at the Hotel Staudacher Hof, where her husband Daniel was head barman. Weisbrich already worked at the Hörnlehütte as a teenager. And taking over the hut one day has always been her dream. The hike to the Hörnlehütte is easy and you reach the hut at 1,390 meters in a good hour and a quarter or a little more time. If you are not good on foot, you can also reach the Hörnlehütte by cable car. No matter how you get there: Sara and Daniel Weisbrich are looking forward to seeing you.
High alpine coffee enjoyment in the Ammergau Alps on the Laber
The mountain restaurant on the Laber has been around for almost 60 years. Since the end of 2021, a fresh wind has been blowing through the mountain inn's guest room. The new landladys Tiziana Süßl and Nadine Wattenberg have revived the traditional mountain inn. In addition to a new name "die Laberei", the interior has also been given a fresh look. An aging guest room has been transformed into a new, modern, but still very cozy guest room. A lot of work was done with wooden elements, a new floor was installed and completely new oak furniture from Holzart was also a must. The result is a beautiful mountain inn that invites you to linger for cozy hours.
High alpine coffee enjoyment with regionality
In general, the two tenants of their Laberei place great value on regional quality. The cheese comes from the Ettal cheese dairy, the fish from Platzfisch in Mittenwald and the meat from the Christl butcher's shop in Oberau. The feeling of home is also evident in the drinks. In addition to the beers from the Ettal monastery brewery, the Laberei offers exceptional wines from our wine shop Wein Danke an. And the hot drinks also come from our house: In the Laberei you can enjoy our wild coffee, such as the Wilderer and the Bergsonne , as well as the teas from Tea Spitz.
High alpine coffee enjoyment at Laber
For all hiking enthusiasts, the hike to the Laberei is a really beautiful tour. There are various ways to reach the summit of the Laber. The usual route goes from the valley station of the cable car in Oberammergau to the Soilasee and then on to the summit. If you want something a little more challenging, you can turn right a good way before the Soilasee and walk over the Schartenköpfe. You can also reach the Laber from Ettal via the Ettaler Mandl. Of course, you can also take the cable car if you don't feel like hiking.
High Alpine coffee enjoyment – Conclusion
Enjoying coffee in the high Alps is not a new phenomenon. Franz Fischer, an icon in the climbing and mountaineering scene, was a real coffee fan and enjoyed his coffee in his Oberreintalhütte even during difficult times in World War II. Back then, however, adventurous routes sometimes had to be taken to get the coffee to the hut. Today, things are a bit easier and coffee is not only available in individual mountain huts. You can enjoy our wild coffee in the Reintalangerhütte , in the Laberei , in the Hörnlehütte and in the Oberreintalhütte . The coffee tastes particularly good after a demanding climb. It doesn’t matter whether you use a stovetop pot or a French press – coffee in the hut tastes twice as good and gives you energy for the descent or for further ascent. With this in mind, we wish all mountaineers a successful autumn hiking season. Good luck and #staywild !
