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BRACHOS

Q. What bracha is made on whole roasted coffee beans (plain)?

A. As it’s unpopular to eat this way, the bracha is Shehakol.

If it’s chocolate covered, it’s questionable which is the primary ingredient. Therefore, make Ha’eitz on a [different] fruit and Shehakol on the chocolate. #7410

Q. Do you make a bracha on smelling coffee?

A. One should avoid smelling the scent of foods or spices which are normally not used to smell from (such as crushed pepper or ginger, hot bread, the aroma of coffee) to avoid the question as to whether a bracha is required. #10614

SHABBOS

Q. May one use a French press coffee maker on Shabbos? What about pour-over coffee through a filter?

A. Please note that the following answer addresses only the issue of Borer, not Bishul.

One may not use a French press on Shabbos due to the issur of Borer.

As to Pour-Over Coffee: You can prepare coffee using a pour-over filter that is placed in a cone. You must however make sure not to manually aid the process by moving the coffee around. If you do not have a cone you can hold the filter over the cup, being extra careful not to manually aid the process.

Another option is to place the coffee directly in the cup (like when preparing “mud coffee”), and after adding the water you can pour out the prepared coffee into another cup. In this case, you must make sure to pour carefully and to stop before you reach the level of the coffee. #6679*

Q. May one set a coffee maker before Shabbos on a timer to brew on Shabbos morning?

A. No. [This is zilusa d’Shabbos, an exhibition of dissrespect for Shabbos. In addition, the fact that it was preset before Shabbos is not obviously apparent.]

Q. Can I stir butter into my coffee on Shabbos?

A. This shouldn’t be done. You may place the butter into the hot coffee without stirring it to melt it. Once it is melted, you may mix it. But you may not pour the hot water or hot coffee (even from a kli sheini, shelishi etc.) over the butter. #28724*

Q. Is it a problem to pour hot water into a kli sheini that still has drops of water in it from being used previously?

A. When making a cup of coffee or tea on Shabbos, it is common to pour boiling water into a cup that was previously used for hot water or was rinsed with cold water. This raises the question of whether this would be considered Bishul (cooking), since the boiling water affects the small amount of cold water left in the cup from prior use.

The halacha is that, strictly speaking, Irui (pouring hot water) is a problem on Shabbos only when water is added to solids, not to liquids. However, there’s room for stringency if one is adding a comparatively large amount of hot liquid to a small amount of cold liquid. Therefore, it’s advisable to wipe the cup dry before adding hot water. However, if the water from the previous use was originally hot and then cooled off, and especially if it’s still slightly warm, then there’s no problem with pouring hot water over the remaining drops of water in the cup. #5260*

TEVILAS KEILIM

Q. Does a coffee machine require tevilas keilim?

A. Yes. Both the cofee pot and the heating element requires tevila as well. Being that it is not possible to tovel, see the tevilas keilim guide for your options.

Q. In general, if I’m at a place where it’s safe to assume the coffee machine was not toveled, i.e. it’s a Keurig, or a regular machine, where the coffee pot was toveled but the machine/heating element probably wasn’t, and it’s also safe to assume that it wasn’t disassembled etc. Is it okay to use this machine, perhaps relying on some lenient opinions in this case where the machine isn’t yours?

A. If in general they are careful with kashrus, you do not need to suspect that they did not tovel or take care of the obligation of toveling in any which way.

However, if they are not careful with kashrus or you know that it was not toveled or wasn’t professionally disassembled, you should not use it. Nonetheless, what was made in those appliances remains permitted. In extenuating circumstances, there could be room for leniency. #26356*

Coffee jars

Bottles and cans that are sold with food inside them, such as coffee jars, do not require immersion for their initial use until they have been emptied of their original contents. If one then decides to continue using them for food-related purposes it is preferable that it be immersed, but without reciting a bracha. #Tevilas Keilim FAQs*

*References are available for this Halacha on the websites: www.Halacha2Go.com and www.AskTheRav.com

Please note that these halachos apply in general situations. If you are unsure whether the halacha applies to your particular situation, please consult a Rav

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