Above: Fruit tea steeping at Wasserschloss in Hamburg, Germany

One of the most delightful German traditions is Kaffee und Kuchen, or coffee and cake, which is the Teutonic version of afternoon tea. German people still treasure this ritual, and I must admit that it was quite irritating to see so many slender locals indulging in slices of decadent torte. In the name of research, I risked my waistline in order to find the best places to enjoy Kaffee und Kuchen in Hamburg.

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