FAQ: Starbucks
Every so often, someone asks about what’s okay to drink at Starbucks cafes. Though the information is readily available elsewhere on the Internet, I am reposting here what the Star-K recommends:
Kosher Protocol at Coffee Shops
Due to the flood of consumer inquiries regarding what may and may not be purchased at local coffee shops such as Starbucks, we have compiled the following guidelines:
- All unflavored, roasted coffees (both regular and decaf), may be purchased in a disposable cup. Sugar may be added. Milk (not creamer) may be added, and is cholov stam.
- Creamers and flavors may be added separately after the consumer verifies that the label of the original container of these items bear reliable certification.
- Only packaged food items bearing reliable certification may be purchased.
- At Starbucks, bottled beverages bearing a KD are certified kosher, dairy, cholov stam, by R’ Zevulun Charlop.
- Frapuccino, whipped toppings, and other beverages prepared in coffee shops are not recommended since they are made in carafes/pump pots that are not exclusively used for kosher beverages.
R’ Eliezer Eidletz of KosherQuest.org recommends the following:
Coffee Shops often seem to be growing at a faster rate than the general population. When there is kosher certification on a whole coffee shop it is very easy for the kosher consumer to peruse their menu and order whatever they choose. However, many of the popular coffee shops today (such as Starbucks) sell some kosher coffee, but also carry many non-kosher items, flavorings and drinks. As a general rule, plain unflavored coffee (regular or decaf), in many types of roasts (such as French Roast etc.) does not present a kashrus problem. The main concern in such drinks would be that they be served in a disposable cup and stirred with a disposable utensil.
Patrons may even add milk if they are not particular about cholov yisroel. The small cream containers often display the kosher certification (such as O/U) and one has only to check the container for the reliable hashgacha. As a pareve alternative, many coffee shops also carry pareve soy milk, which too must be checked to ascertain that it is, in fact, under proper kosher supervision. Unless the sugar used is flavored, that too does not pose a kashrus challenge. However, a real problem in non-certified coffee shops are flavored coffees. Flavoring is often derived from non-kosher sources and therefore must bear a reliable certification. Some of these non-certified coffee shops actually use coffee flavorings bearing OK, OK-Dairy, or OU symbols, while others use flavorings with no kosher certification at all. In order to determine this, one must ask to examine the bottle of flavoring used in the flavored coffee to check for the presence of the hashgacha. In an unsupervised shop, this must be a ritual that is repeated each time one orders a cup of flavored coffee as the store can change the source of their flavoring at any given time. Therefore, if a coffee shop is not under reliable kosher supervision, the kosher consumer may purchase any unflavored plain coffee, or ask (each time) to see the bottle(s) of flavoring or topping used in a drink to look for a reliable hashgacha.
As with everything, ask your rabbi. Since coffee shop trends vary from region to region, you may be surprised to learn what is or isn’t permissible in your neighborhood.
Ask my rabbi about “everything?” Surely there must be something that I can do in my life on some level that does not require his guidance… committing small acts of pedantry, for example.
It’s also important to bear in mind that some soymilk is dairy. (Starbucks, fortunately, uses Silk soymilk, which is Scroll-K DE.)
Scroll-K DE is pareve, not dairy. DE stands for Dairy Equipment.
How could real soymilk ever be dairy? At most it could be dairy equipment (and probably not even that).
And regarding Starbucks in general, there’s also this shita:
http://www.kashrut.org/forum/viewpost.asp?mid=8662&highlight=starbucks
and many more here:
http://www.kashrut.org/forum/search.asp?keyword=starbucks
(Please, no snarky comments about Rav Abadi. This is for informational purposes only.)
Confusion. How is it that consuming any prepared item from an establishment which is not under supervision is acceptable to these kashrut oversight agencies. Morover, does this permit such reasoning to be extended to any facility where food preparation takes places using ingredients which themselves have hasgacha (or inherently do not require same). Please expain.
As long as there is a presumption that the vessels used to prepare the food are used only for that food (e.g., coffee makers are only used to prepare coffee) then there is no problem. (Bishul Aku”m doesn’t apply to coffee for any number of reasons.)
The question of extending this reasons depends on how certain one’s presumption needs to be. See Rabbi Joshua Maroof’s August 17th blog entry for good reasons why it should: http://askrabbimaroof.blogspot.com/
To #1 Halacha states, “Asay L’Cha Rav” – make for yourself a Rav. Yes, it is good to have a Rav to turn to for guidance. No he is not there to run your life but to assist you in matters that you are overwhelmed with.
To #4 Rav Adabi for himself is machmir but for the public he is too maikail (lenient).
—— ——
The question was asked in Halacha regarding bishul akum. Bishul akum refers to something that was cooked by a non-Jew. We know that we are not allowed to eat items cooked by a non-Jew. But the question today is, what about coffee? It happens many times where Kosher ingredients are used, and a non-Jew is making fresh brewed coffee, and we want to buy it and we want to drink it. They boil the water. They boil the coffee. They made it. Is that a problem of bishul akum?
Actually, there’s an interesting Machloket on this. Some bring down from The Arizal that he wanted to say that it’s forbidden because of bishul Goyim. However, this Arizal, the way the Mefarshim explain it, most of them, was that The Arizal was Machmir on himself, and that it wasn’t something that he was Machmir on other people.
For example, the custom in Baghdad, the Ben Ish Chai writes, was to drink coffee even though it was cooked by non-Jews. But of course, people that were Machmir, people that were extra careful, they would refrain from it.
The Halacha, there are enough Poskim (Rabbis who render the Halacha) to rely on, that the coffee, even though it was made by Goyim, as long as the ingredients are Kosher, it’s permissible. Those opinions include the Peri Chadash, and the opinion of the Ya’abetz, and that is also the opinion of the Radbaz. So therefore, there are enough Rabbis to be lenient on it. Therefore the Halacha Lema’ase, from the law it is permissible to drink Kosher ingredient coffee even though it was made by a non-Jew.
A Machmir who does not have it, like the Arizal, upon him will come Bracha.
I find it unlikely that Rav Abadi doesn’t hold by his own opinions given this post where he is explicitly asked that question:
http://www.kashrut.org/forum/viewpost.asp?mid=19727
#8 I read what was stated on the site I heard the son speaking for his father. I too have see that before where the son states what he believes his father’s stand is but that is for public consumption. I know ‘first hand’ that the man is machmir for himself. If you would have seen him in Lakewood, NJ now he is living in HarNof (Jrslm) you too would have seen that he is strict on himself & maykail (lenient)on others. There is NO ONE in Lakewood that would use carmine even though Rabbi Abadi said there is no propblem. People would purposely go to him to get a psak(judgement) that was lenient as they knew that is exactly what he would give them. You can sit in his kollel in Jrslm if you have the time.
Anyone else have a hard time deciphering Moshe’s posts?
To #11 ,no insult intended but, if you are confused due to lack of familiarity with my use of Halachic terms, you are most welcomed to contact me off-line.
The comment was meant for #10.
It’s not the Halachic terms.
I was wondering if those rules apply to Starbucks Australia? Frappaciuonos without cream are also not recommended??
Rabbi Abadi is not some joke rabbi going around giving out lenient rulings to whoever comes to him asking. He is a true Torah Scholar that learns day and night and only gives a ruling according to Torah Law whether it may seem to you or anyone else as lenient or strict.
Jack, I’d agree, but I doubt most people who follow R. Abadi’s rulings in regards to kashrut really follow his rulings in regards to many other issues where is stricter than normative orthodox practice.
Hence, there’s a contradiction of sorts.
btw, went into a starbucks today, that was a little quiet so they were helpful. All the “flavors” I looked at were under the OU.
The way they make the whip could be problematic, from what I saw it was “kosher” but probably needs supervision, namely, they use heavy cream, vanilla flavoring (from their regular flavors) and CO2. The heavy cream I saw was under the OU (OU-D in specific). Since one doesn’t see them make the whip, this can be an issue. What I don’t know is, If one drinks Chalav Stam, can one use “stam” heavy cream?
They showed me the box that the carmel topping comes in, it just says “Made for Starbucks”. But there’s no indication anywhere if its kosher or not. An easy way to answer this is to know if there’s any starbucks that are under a hasgacha and see if they use the regular “caramel” topping or not.
I would like to know if there is any committee of Rabbis that could effectively go into the local Starbucks Cafes and make a list of those items (including the Frappachinos and other specialty drinks)that are permissible as has been done in several 7-11 stores with regards to the Slurpee flavors.
the difference is, slurpees, (not from ever seeing how they are made, but just my good assumption from working many years in the food business) Slurpees appear to be a frozen water mixed with soda syrup. Soda syrup would be supervised in a factory and come with a hechtser on it and its mixed in the machine with frozen water.
On the other hand everything is made fresh at starbucks, potentially mixing many different items with barely any cleaning happening.
I think that Rabbis have in the past addressed this issue, you can look at the OU website to find out the many Starbucks ingredients that they supervise individually as kosher and the star-K website has a good set of guidelines as to how to purchase coffee in a non supervised kosher environemnt.
I know this is a year late, but i just came across this blog while searching for kosher info on Starbucks. I found this grear site that explains everything and has a whole list of beverages that are kosher.
Here’s the link: http://www.kosherstarbucks.com
#20 Thanks Kosherstarbucks.com is a great resorce.
It is not a great resource. It is anonymous, as far as I can tell. Who is doing the research. Who is the rabbi that he or she is consulting with?
Elise, I know for a fact some of what they say is true.
For instance, I’ve checked myself about the carmel syrup (not the flavoring) that they use, and there’s no hasgacha on it. They even brought a box out (plain brown box) for me that simply said “made for starbucks” on it. When I tried to ask starbucks who made it, they wouldn’t tell me, and of course the OU will only tell you what they have under their hasgacha.
Basically, it would seem their website is a good starting point and as they seem to operate in facts, one should easily be able to verify if their facts are indeed correct.
I don’t know who the website is run by, but the WHOIS for the website lists someone in Lakewood, NJ.
SP,
Thanks for clearing that up for me. i also verified what the site says in starbucks and they’re very accurate.
I also emailed them with a question that i had and they seemed very knowledgable. thats why i rely on them.
#20 Thanks! Kosherstarbucks.com was very helpful
http://www.kosherstarbucks.com is great and very accurate.
I think that many people think that everything in starbucks is kohser, but once you see that site you realize it’s alot more complicated.
For the record, koshercritic ought not to be confused w/ Kosher Critic and any comments by the former solely represent the views of their author and not those of this binomial Kosher Critic.
Kosher Critic i will change my user name i didn’t know it was already used. sorry
No worries but thank you for preventing an identity crisis :)
i happen to personally know the owner of kosherstrbucks and he is totally reliable and has the highest level of kashrut also it says their names on the website
VERY SIMPLE…I JUST WANT A CUP OF PLAIN COFFEE FROM STARBUCKS. IS THAT PERMISSABLE?
Anthony: Simple questions have simple answers: Ask Your Local Orthodox Rabbi.
(Despite the global community out here in internet world, the the answer to your question is the same as it was long before the kosherblog appeared.)