Brewed
Fresh
at
Starbucks
>> UPDATE <<
Has the kosher status of drinks at Starbucks changed
(for better or for worse) since we published “What
Could Be Wrong with My Little Latte?” in 2013?
I
t’s January 5th and I’m flying to Cleveland early tomorrow morning.
A 7:59 a.m. flight means I want to leave my house around 5:30 a.m. That’s fine; I love
those early morning hours.
There’s a family chasunah tonight. Rather than get a babysitter, when a wedding is local
my husband and I sometimes take shifts. I go for the first half; he goes for the second.
By the time he returns, I’m asleep. My carry-on bag is by the door and the four mini
cupcakes I promised I’d bring home for the kids from the Viennese table are on the kitchen
counter. There are two deseeded pomegranates in the refrigerator (no one should be without
while I’m away) and each child’s clothing is laid out on the guest room bed.
In the morning, I’m up before 5 a.m. It’s amazing how easy it is the get ready to leave the
house when it’s just me. By 5:30, all I need to do is make a cup of coffee and grab a Greek yogurt
and fruit and I’m out the door, more than an hour before the sun is scheduled to rise.
I don’t think this early caffeine is going to last me through the day…and I have a very long
one ahead. No problem; I’ll get another cup at the airport. One of the nice things I remember
enjoying before a flight are those hot Starbucks lattes; my visits to the airport were almost the only
time I could enjoy a hot latte without worrying about treif keilim (non-kosher utensils), since the
mini-versions of Starbucks in the airports didn’t serve any hot food.
I park my car and get through security quickly (again, amazed at how easy it is to travel without
kids in tow). There’s plenty of time before boarding. It’s time to sit and enjoy my latte.
I walk up to the first Starbucks I see. But it looks likes things have changed…I see ham sandwiches
in the showcase and there’s one of those ovens behind the counter. Uh-oh. I keep walking through
the terminal. The situation is the same at the next Starbucks I pass. If they’re serving hot treif now in
the airport locations too, I know that’s a problem. It doesn’t look like I’ll be having that second cup.
BY VICTORIA DWEK
Evolving Kashrus
The following morning, when I’m back at the
airport for my return flight, I send a quick email
to Rav Sholem Fishbane of the cRc (Chicago
Rabbinical Council) from my phone:
"I’m in airport now and see Starbucks
does now serve hot sandwiches here.
Is status of airport coffee different
now?
(I want to know for myself
now but also don’t want to
tell pple airport ok if it’s not
anymore).
Thnx!"
Rabbi Fishbane lets me
know that there have been
changes since we last published,
“What Could Be Wrong with My
Little Latte?” in Whisk Issue #119. I had
originally been in touch with Rabbi Fishbane,
the foremost authority on the topic, in 2009
when I first began researching the kosher status
of drinks at Starbucks. Like many rabbanim in
the field of kashrus, Rabbi Fishbane travels all
over the country and the world to supervise
the factories that carry the cRc hechsher. While
traveling, he’s stopped in at hundreds of Starbucks
locations to learn about the ingredients, washing
procedures, and how they affect the kashrus of
different drinks. In 2011, he published the cRc
guide to Starbucks beverages in The Journal of
Halacha and Contemporary Society. This served
as the definitive halachic guide to what drinks
are permissible, questionable, and prohibited.
This was updated in 2013 and published first in
Whisk.
But the kashrus status of drinks in this
unsupervised establishment is constantly
changing. (One thing has stayed the same,
unfortunately: Although the numbers may be
fewer, you’ll still see otherwise kosher-keeping
Jews ignorantly ordering non-kosher drinks).
Now, in 2015, it was time for another update.
Not Too Hot
“Starbucks has become more and more of a
restaurant than in years past. They’ve added lots
of new food items to the menu. A lot of the
airport locations are losing their ‘kiosk’ status.
As a sample, I went through O’Hare airport,
to every terminal, and half of the Starbucks
locations had full service operations with ovens
and Hobart dishwashers. There were some little
locations in the corner with limited operations
where the drinks would still be OK,” Rabbi
Fishbane told me when we spoke recently.
As of my last visit, the Starbucks location
at Cheesequake, the rest stop located halfway
between Brooklyn and Deal/Lakewood (where
it always seems that half the people there are
frum Jews), still had kiosk status. Although
this can change any day, since there is no hot
food being served there, the keilim used don’t
present an issue, and any drink with all kosher
ingredients would be fine to order. That’s the
only location that I’m aware of where that is
still the case.
Rabbi Fishbane recently had a long interview
with one frum Starbucks manager who manages
a branch in California. She read through the
original article published in Whisk, verifying
the accuracy of all the points and noting what
has changed since it was published. During
his correspondence with her, there was one
breakthrough:
“We found a way where you can get a
latte, no problem,” Rabbi Fishbane said. “You
can ask for a kiddie latte. For kids, they don’t
want to make the drink too hot, so children
don’t burn themselves. Baristas use a manual
leverage when steaming the milk so they warm
it to the correct set temperature. You can tell
them to heat it to no more than 115°F. It’s
not super hot, but it’s hot enough, and at that
temperature, it’s halachically fine. Their official
kiddie temperature is 120°F, but 120°F is yad
soledes. That’s the temperature where the blius
transfers, and the milk takes on the flavor of
the metal cup. L’chatchilah, as long as the milk is
under 120°F, you can drink it.”
(Note: See ‘The Shot Divider’ section on the
following page for information on the kashrus
status of a hot latte.)
The New Drinks
“There is more good news for those who keep
chalav Yisrael. Apart from soy milk, Starbucks is
also offering coconut milk, which is certified by
the OU,” Rabbi Fishbane told me.
The news isn’t as good in regards to the kashrus
status of other new items on the menu. Most
of the new Teavana teas that Starbucks serves
are not yet certified, so flavored teas would not
be permissible. It could be an item that receives
certification in the future. The Tazo teas that
had been offered in the past were certified.
Now…about the new cold brew coffee.
I thought that cold brew would be part of the
good news. I make cold brew coffee at home, so
I know there is no heat involved in the process
of making cold brew coffee, which is a coffee
concentrate (add ice and milk and you have a
2 3 S I VA N 5 7 7 5
|
JUNE 10, 2015
|
WHISK
|
33
Chicago Rabbinical Council
Guide to Starbucks Beverages
Drink
Americano, using disposablesB
Full
Kiosk
hot
Service (NO
food being
Store
served on
site)
L
C
Apple juice (steamed)
Brewed Coffee
H
Caramel MacchiatoK
J
Clover-brewed coffee
Cream
D
D
Coconut Milk
M
Cold Brew Coffee
Espresso, using disposablesB
L
Flavor syrups
E
E
FrappuccinoF
Hot chocolate
C, D
Iced coffee
G
Iced latte, using disposablesB
L
Iced tea
G
Latte/cappuccino
A,C
Latte, Kiddie
D
C,L
LemonadeF
Milk, cold
C
Milk, steamed
SmoothieF
Soy Milk
Tea (hot)
E
able shot glass.
C Metal steaming cup may have been washed with other non-
kosher items. To avoid this problem, ask for your milk to be
steamed in a clean pitcher to 115F. The hot liquids only become
problematic at 120F. Starbucks calls this not-too-hot beverage a
"kiddie latte."
D Cream is purchased regionally and must be checked for kosher
certification.
E Check specific flavor for kosher certification (many are not).
F Bases are not kosher certified.
G Plastic pitcher used to hot brew the (double-strength) coffee or
|
The Shot Divider & The Starbucks Manual
Our frum Starbucks manager in California confirmed what
we’ve all suspected all along: only 25% of stores actually run
according to the manual. Most make their own rules.
She told Rabbi Fishbane that a lot of people who are working
in Starbucks have been there only a few days. If you need a real
answer, you have to ask for a manager or supervisor. She also
said that the barista job is 75% cleaning and maintenance and
only 25% making drinks. The store is broken down and cleaned
thrice daily, and at the end of the day, when people want to get
home, they cut corners.
When I’m in Brooklyn, I have Breadberry, and when I’m in
Lakewood, I have French Press. But when I’m in Deal, and I
want to stop for coffee outside of the house, there is nowhere
to go except for Starbucks (and there are three locations within
10 minutes of my home). Ever since 2009, I’ve only ordered
“Iced Grande Soy Lattes” and always ask for the shot divider to
be removed. As discussed in the 2013 article, the shot divider is
the only piece on the espresso machine that is removable and
is sometimes washed in the Hobart dishwasher. It’s the only
thing standing in the way of a drink that’s kosher l’chatchilah.
E
B Make sure espresso is a disposable cup, instead of into a reus-
34
great iced coffee). But I didn’t see the whole picture.
“There is one part of the cold brew drink which is kosher
sensitive. There is no problem in the brewing process, where
the coffee grounds are combined with cold water and left for
20 hours before the coffee is strained. The problem comes
afterwards. Cold brew coffee is brewed about every five days
at Starbucks, so the coffee sits in pitchers for up to five days.
Those pitchers are washed in the Hobart dishwashers. The
coffee becomes kavush after 24 hours of sitting in the pitchers.”
According to halachah, cold items don’t take on blius of their
container…but that’s only if they’re sitting in that container for
less than 24 hours. Once that time period is longer, they do.
In 2013, the “Clover machine” was new to Starbucks. The
only problem with the Clover was the metal whisk used, as it
is washed in the Hobart. One manager in Chicago told Rabbi
Fishbane that she is accustomed to frum customers asking
baristas to use disposable wooden sticks to stir the coffee
instead; make that request if you order a Clover.
tea may have been washed with nonkosher items. Request an
iced
made
W H I Scoffee
K |
J U N E 3using
, 2 0 1 5 espresso
|
1 6 S I shots
VA N 5 7instead.
75
H Brew basket may have been washed with nonkosher items.
Although brew basket some may consider a kli sheini, the cRc
recommends purchasing items that are free of all sh'eilos.
J Equipment may have been washed with nonkosher items. Ask
for coffee to be stirred using disposable wooden sticks rather
than the metal whisk.
K Caramel sauce is not certified (caramel syrup is certified kosher).
L To ensure kosher status, ask the barista to remove the “shot di-
vider” from the Mastrena machine’s pour spout before brewing
the espresso portion of this beverage.
M Although there is no halachic problem with the brewing pro-
cess, the coffee concentrate is stored in pitchers that have been
washed with non-kosher items for up to 5 days. This coffee
would not be permissable after being stored in the pitcher for
longer than 24 hours.
The baristas at my local Starbucks comply happily, no problem.
When I’m traveling and make the same request, they think I’m a
little odd, but they still comply (except for the day after Pesach,
when I was somewhere in South Jersey, and wanted an iced latte
more than any other day of the year. I didn’t get a coffee but I did
get a gift card for a free drink when they couldn’t fulfill my request).
Is this request still necessary?
“One thing I got a better sense of in the last couple years...most
Starbucks locations do not regularly put the shot divider in the
Hobart. Our frum Starbucks manager said, coincidentally, that she
did it for the first time the week before we spoke. B’dieved, I don’t
know if we need to insist on that.”
“If the shot divider was washed in the Hobart a long time ago, but
not recently, does it have the status of a keli which isn’t ben yomo?”
“For something to be an eino ben yomo, it has to have never been
hot since it came into contact with treif. If something becomes treif
on Monday morning, and becomes hot Monday night, the clock
restarts. Although most places said they never wash the shot divider
in the Hobart, if they’ll take it out for you, you can have an iced latte
l’chatchilah. If they steam the milk to a temperature that’s under
120°F, then you can even have a hot latte l’chatchilah.”
“So what do we advise people now?”
“If someone would call me up with a drink in their hand and ask
if they could drink it [an espresso drink made with the shot divider
in], I’d say b’dieved, you can.”
Rabbi Fishbane told me that the manager gave him good advice:
When you need a barista to accommodate a special request for you,
you don’t need to try to explain the complicated rules of kosher; say
it’s because of allergies.
So, l’chatchilah, I will still personally ask for the shot divider to be
removed when my drink is made. But at least a standard iced latte is
okay b’dieved for all those who order it without the request.
“The shot divider is less of a concern than the brew basket that’s
used to brew the coffee (and is washed in the Hobart)…so an iced
latte will be the better choice vs. an iced coffee.”
Is the Barista Telling the Truth?
How do you know if you can trust a barista who says “We never
put the shot divider in the dishwasher,” or “The cold brew coffee
was brewed fresh today”?
“There are two types of people who come in for a drink at
Starbucks. There are the people who go to the same place every day.
They have a relationship with the people who work there and they
know their practices. They’re always checking it out and acting as
their own mashgiach,” Rabbi Fishbane said.
That type of person would be able to ascertain if the shot divider
really never went into the dishwasher (he keeps asking and always
gets a consistent response) or whether the cold brew coffee was
brewed that day (he’ll get the “yes” answer every fifth day and then
he knows they are telling the truth).
“Then there is the person who is traveling and stopping off
somewhere. When you’re in a new place, you can’t take it for granted
that what they tell you is consistently true; they might do things one
way and the baristas on the next shift might do it another.” 
FOOD PANEL
Hosted by:
Victoria
DW EK
Homemade Caramel
For many, caramel sauce is something that you buy. The
process of burning sugar is hardly ever foolproof and
scares a lot of people. I always detested the fake taste
of other “shortcut” caramels that call for brown sugar or
margarine. Real caramel flavor needs that caramelization
process. While at Breadberry, I was asked a few times: how
do you make an easy, homemade caramel?
This was my response. Ever since I found this nothermometer method, making caramel has been easy,
rather than a consuming task. The secret is using water
in the mixture, which makes the sugar less susceptible to
burning in spots. I keep both dairy and pareve versions in
the refrigerator (sometimes there’s a need for emergency
ice cream sundaes or caramel-topped iced lattes, especially
this time of year).
Homemade Caramel
1 cup sugar
¼ cup water
1 tsp corn syrup (optional, but helps avoid crystallization)
½ cup heavy cream or non-dairy alternative
pinch or more salt (optional, for flavor)
1 tsp or more vanilla (optional, for flavor)
1. Combine sugar, water, and corn syrup (optional) in a
medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil until the
mixture is that perfect, golden caramel color. This is
the most crucial part: it’ll be deeply golden right after
it passes that pale amber color, but don’t wait too
long or it’ll burn. You can swirl the pan as it boils if
necessary, but don’t stir.
2. Reduce heat to low and pour in cream very slowly
and carefully, whisking to combine. Add salt and
vanilla, if using. Let mixture boil for 1-2 more
minutes to thicken. Enjoy!
Victoria is available to Breadberry customers for personal recipe
guidance and menu planning. Contact her at victoria@breadberry.com