Paula Pumpernickel Coffee Liqueur

Milk Coffee Liqueur belongs on the Westphalian coffee table

The Paula Pumpernickel Milk Coffee Liqueur from Sasse is a cream liqueur with 17% ABV, in which strong coffee meets creamy milk, rounded off with a dash of spirits. Creamy, roasted, milky – afternoon coffee in liquid form.

Paula Pumpernickel Milk Coffee Liqueur is the lightest of the three cream liqueurs that the Feinbrennerei Sasse from Schöppingen has been producing since 2021 with Münsterland food blogger Paula Pumpernickel: strong coffee, creamy milk, and a hint of spirits, combined into a 17% ABV liqueur in a 700-milliliter bottle. The idea behind it is the cozy coffee gathering, just as it belongs to the afternoon in the Münsterland region.

Light brown like a good milk coffee, it sits in the glass, and that is exactly how it smells: roasted beans, warm milk, and a subtle sweetness in the background. Anyone who has ever sat at a Westphalian coffee table will immediately know what this is leading to.

Coffee, milk, and a hint of spirits

On the palate, the milk coffee liqueur displays the roasted notes of strong coffee, captured by creamy milk – and warmed by the spirit in the background.

Creamy, roasted, and milky, the layers come together just like the original: the coffee sets the direction, the milk smooths out the edges, and with 17% ABV, enough warmth remains for the evening. It never gets too sweet – the roasted bitterness balances it out and makes it one where a second glass is definitely possible.

With cake, over ice cream, in tiramisu

The milk coffee liqueur is best enjoyed chilled and neat – at the coffee table, it belongs next to the cup, not in it.

A small glass next to your afternoon coffee, along with a piece of butter cake; this liqueur needs nothing more. This is the gathering it comes from, and that is where it is at home. If you prefer it warmer, pour a shot into your hot coffee and leave out the cream and sugar – both are already inside.

In summer, the cold version works too: a shot over ice cubes, topped up with cold milk, and your after-work iced coffee is ready. And when you bake waffles, it replaces the powdered sugar – the roasted note goes better with the warm dough than any sweetness.

In tiramisu, it replaces coffee and liqueur in one step; over vanilla ice cream, it makes an affogato with a milk foam topping. The sisters of this range are the Herrencreme and the Salted Caramel – all three are in the Paula Pumpernickel family. Those who prefer their coffee without milk will find the clear version in the Kaffee Arabica Natural Liqueur.

The coffee gathering as a recipe

Since 2021, the Feinbrennerei Sasse has been working with Paula Pumpernickel, a blogger who collects the specialties of the Münsterland – three cream liqueurs have emerged, each conceived from a regional ritual.

For the milk coffee, the ritual was obvious: the coffee table in the afternoon, where in the Münsterland, the day is shared between cake and conversation. Capturing this moment in a bottle primarily means keeping the milk stable and not letting the coffee become bitter – balance instead of muscle-flexing.

It is distilled in Schöppingen, where a distillery has stood since 1707 and Rüdiger Sasse runs the house in the 15th generation. At the 2025 World Spirits Award, the distillery was the only grain distillery in Germany to be named a World-Class Distillery – one of 18 worldwide. That there is no contradiction between an award-winning barrel-aged grain spirit and a coffee liqueur for the coffee table is part of the philosophy of this house.

The roasted note remains clear when cold

The milk coffee liqueur belongs in the refrigerator – the roasted note remains clear when cold, but quickly becomes mild when warm. Shake briefly before pouring so that the milk is distributed. With cake, over ice cream, or as a shot in an espresso. Once opened, it will keep for a few weeks when refrigerated, like any cream liqueur.