29 Oct KASHRUS QUESTIONS OF THE WEEK WITH RABBI MOSHE ELEFANT

Q: Can one buy unflavored hot coffee
both regular and/or decaf from any
non-kosher establishment such as
Starbucks or a Dunkin Donuts without

a hechsher?
This is a very complicated question. I often see people coming out of
Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts or other non-kosher establishments with a cup
of coffee. I’m not going to delve into the issue of the milk that’s being used if
you’re careful about cholov yisroel, because even if they have a container of
cholov yisroel milk at the counter, since there’s no mashgiach, you cannot be
sure that they did not just go out and buy a container of cholov Yisroel milk,
and then filled it up with something else. You cannot trust that it’s cholov
yisroel. But taking the cholov yisroel issue aside, either because you are not
careful about cholov Yisroel or because you’re going to drink coffee without
milk. The issue is as follows: They prepare the coffee with the same utensils
they use to prepare other food items that they sell. Those utensils need to be
washed. Typically they’re washed in the same dishwasher they use to clean
the other pots, pans, silverware and whatever other utensils they have in
the establishment. The utensils that are being used to prepare your coffee
may have also been used for preparing non-kosher meat, or cheese. Even if
the same utensils are not being used to make your coffee, they certainly are
being washed in the same dishwasher.

I’m asked this question quite
often, and people argue
that since they use soap and
detergent in the dishwasher,
the utensils being washed
in there, would become
pogum (foul tasting) from
the soap in the dishwasher.
This is the way I look at it:
If somebody has at home a
dairy dishwasher and a meat
dishwasher and by accident a
dairy spoon was put into your meat dishwasher, there are many halachic
considerations as to why it’s not a problem. Yet, when I tell people it is not
a problem, they don’t want to listen to me, they just want to throw away
the dishwasher. “How can I use a fleishig dishwasher that washed a milchig
spoon”? even though it only happened once by accident (I actually applaud
that attitude because it shows a seriousness about kashrus and keeping our
home kosher). However, that same person who is so meticulous in keeping
such perfect separation in their home, won’t have a problem drinking the
coffee that was prepared with utensils that are used on a regular basis for
treif and are washed in a dishwasher with treif keilim. So, I strongly feel that
one should not buy a coffee in a shop that also sells treif food.
Now if you have a coffee shop that only sells coffee then it’s a whole different
situation, but that’s not typically the case.