Does Coffee Present an Issue of Bishul Akum?
Q. I will be traveling and would like to know if there is a concern of bishul akum with coffee?
A. Ostensibly, the prohibition of bishul akum should apply to coffee. As previously explained, a cooked food which cannot be eaten raw and is “oleh al shulchan melachim” (served at fancy dinners) requires bishul Yisroel. Raw coffee beans are inedible, and brewed coffee is served at fancy dinners. As such, coffee should be subject to the restrictions of bishul akum. Nonetheless, the Pri Chodosh writes that brewed coffee need not be bishul Yisroel, since coffee is primarily water, and water does not require bishul Yisroel. This is similar to the reasoning that Tosfos offers to explain why beer does not require bishul Yisroel.
The Shevet Haleivi (2:44) questions the comparison to beer. Beer is manufactured with water from the onset, and, therefore, never assumes a bishul akum status. In contrast, coffee beans are dry roasted. At that stage, the beans should be prohibited because of bishul akum. Subsequently, when water is added to the coffee beans, the mixture should remain forbidden. Even if the water exceeds a sixty to one ratio with the coffee, the coffee would not be botel (nullified) because it is avida li’teima (added for flavor). The Shevet Haleivi responds that roasted coffee beans are not “oleh al shulchan melachim” because they are not eaten as a standalone food. Brewed coffee is oleh al shulchan melachim, but at that stage the mixture is mostly water, and like beer, bishul akum does not apply.
For further discussion, see Sh”ut Yechava Daas 4:42.
Though coffee itself may not require Bishul Yisroel, there are other concerns that should be considered before purchasing coffee while travelling related to where the coffee is purchased. For answers to those questions please visit our Summer FAQ page (see Q&As 6 and 7).
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The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis is dedicated to the memory of Rav Yisroel Belsky, zt"l, who served as halachic consultant for OU Kosher for more than 28 years; many of the responses in Halacha Yomis are based on the rulings of Rabbi Belsky. Subscribe to the Halacha Yomis daily email here.