Coffee Drinks from Coffee Shops

Executive Member Joined: Feb 26 2008 Posts: 372

I am curious how many people drink other drinks besides straight up coffee from (non-kosher) coffee shops, like Starbucks, Seattle's Best etc. and what is you reason/heter why?

I'm not judging or a/t, like I said- just curious, mostly about the reasons people have or hetering they got.

Thanks!

I was told that Starbucks was OK (at least in my circles). I've also encountered frum teens in the city look at me and ask if I know where a Starbucks is (at which point I ask them "are you looking for kosher food? If so, you could go to Starbucks or x, y, z).

I ONLY get the coffee drinks at Starbucks. I also make sure that the barista (person making drinks) is the one who makes mine. I don't wan't the cashier--who could also be heating up someone's bacon/egg/cheese sandwich--to come near my drink...

My husband drinks straight coffee from Starbucks. I think he also gets iced coffee, but it doesn't have any issues that regular coffee doesn't (it's just plain coffee with ice, sugar, and soymilk (both with a hecksher on the package that he checks). So I guess that counts as a special "drink", at least from the way it looks in the cup. Also, many of the Starbucks flavors are kosher as well. I don't think my husband usually gets those things, but they have the bottles there at the counter and one can check to see if a particular flavor is kosher. There is actually a whole website devoted to which products are kosher at Starbucks: kosherstarbucks.com.

I am amother because I personally would not drink even plain coffee from Starbucks or any other non-kosher coffee shop. So I don't really support my husband in drinking coffee at Starbucks, but it is important to him and he has "on who to rely" in doing it!

Gold Member Joined: Nov 01 2009 Posts: 1531

My rav told me that coffee is allowed all over the place (in the US) - including McDonalds.

When I went to Iceland we asked also and were told its fine.
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Gold Member Joined: Nov 17 2008 Posts: 1371

I heard Rav Sholem Fishbane of the cRc in Chicago speak about Starbucks and he pointed out that any of the drinks (I believe they are the lattes, but I don't drink coffee so I'm not sure) that have heated, frothed milk in them are a problem because the element they use to heat and froth the milk is washed at high temperatures together with utensils used for cakes that actually contain lard.
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Gold Member Joined: Nov 12 2005 Posts: 1709

In my circles, pretty much everyone drinks coffee drinks from Starbucks, and not only coffee. This includes very orthodox, stockings and sheital families too. I don't keep track of whom I've seen with a frappucino vs just a latte vs hot chocolate. I haven't got a heter, I just figured that when my rebbetzin had a latte at Starbucks with me when I first moved here I was ok to do the same Smile

Posted: Sat, Jul 10 2010, 10:00 pm Post subject:

Silver Member Joined: Feb 20 2009 Posts: 793

Gold Member Joined: Nov 17 2008 Posts: 1371

I was actually discussing this issue with DH recently. We will get drinks (only those listed on kosherstarbucks.com) from Starbucks, but I have been wondering about dunkin donuts. I of course will get drinks from the all kosher DD in our neighborhood, but I wonder if it is okay to get the same drinks from the non-kosher DD.
Anyone have insight?

Does anyone know of a Rabbi who can verify that KosherStarbucks.com is a reliable source? When I asked my posek about relying on their list, he said that I should refrain until I can find a reliable Rabbi who can vouch for their research. (Of course everyone should go by their own posek's pesak.)

Gold Member Joined: Nov 12 2005 Posts: 1709

just wondering about the utensils that are used to stir etc. aren't they all washed in the same dishwasher with the real treif stuff? I am not sure if that makes the utensils treif but I would be interested to find out and will ask my rabbi.

Executive Member Joined: Apr 29 2008 Posts: 268

You should all come visit Los Angeles so you can go to Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf, which is all kosher. There's even one location with Cholov Yisroel.

Starbucks, Ben & Jerry and Haagen Dasz (as well as regular coffees to take a coffee or a juice) seem to be out of the "only go to a place with a hechsher" thing. I've seen rabbanim there, men in long payes and coat, my chassidish relative from Zurich (HD) also goes as do my chassidish relatives from Antwerp (coffee), etc.
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Posted: Sun, Jul 11 2010, 9:07 am Post subject:

I could never wrap my head around drinking coffee from a treif establishment. I have been into dunkin donuts to use the bathroom (desperation) and seen the coffee pots in the not kosher sink being washed. Aren't all coffee pots washed?

Plus we keep cholov yisroel and I don't like black coffee so I was never even tempted to ask if it was okay.
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