Coffee Around the World

Can I buy coffee in non-kosher coffee shops around the world?

Shalom!

Thank you for your question.

As a general rule it is forbidden to eat foods that were cooked by a non-Jew, a concept known as bishul akum . Food must be “bishul Yisrael” cooked by a Jew, or at least have a Jew participate in the cooking in a significant way. The ban on eating food cooked by a non-Jew applies even if all the ingredients are otherwise kosher. The rules of bishul akum only apply to foods that are “suitable for the table of a king” and to foods that cannot beaten raw.

There is much discussion as to whether coffee is subject to the restrictions of bishul akum . As coffee is a drink that is made by cooking water, one might think that it is forbidden to drink coffee prepared by a non-Jew, on the other hand, coffee is mostly water, which is something regularly consumed raw.

Le'halcha we rule that coffee is not subject to bishul akum and therefore coffee may be prepared by a non-Jew.

However, when buying it at a non-kosher coffee shop, there are other kashrut considerations: A) One may only buy pure coffee without any added taste and without Chalav Akum (non-kosher milk). B) The coffee must be prepared using utensils that were used only to make pure coffee and therefore do not have any absorbed taste (beliyos) from coffee that had added non-kosher taste.

Therefore, as long as all the ingredients and utensils are kosher one is permitted to purchase coffee made by a non-Jew.

It is worth adding that even though it is technically permitted to drink coffee prepared by a non-Jew, one should not use coffee as a medium for frequent socializing with non-Jews. In fact, there was once a decree in certain communities that anyone who regularly sat in non-Jewish coffee shops was ineligible to become a rabbi.

Avoda Zara 38; YD 113; Radbaz 3:637; Maharikash, YD 114.