Coffee in Halacha · דף לתלמיד · Student handoutSheet Nº 1
בִּרְכַּת הַקָּפֶה The Blessing on Coffee

Shehakol or ha’etz? What about the sugar, the pastry, the aroma of fresh roast — and who says a bracha acharona on something sipped slowly for an hour? The brachot of the coffee cup, from rishonim to contemporary poskim.

The questions on the tableהשאלות

What is the correct bracha rishona (opening blessing) on coffee?
The bracha on coffee (in its liquid/brewed state) is shehakol.
What blessing is required when dipping a biscuit into coffee? (Avnei Yashpeh 1:27:6)
No separate blessing on the biscuit. The coffee is the ikar (primary) and the biscuit is tafel (subsidiary);…
What blessing is required when eating a biscuit while drinking coffee (not dipping)? (Avnei Yashpeh 1:27:10)
A separate blessing is required on the biscuit. When eating and drinking are performed as independent acts,…
What bracha is recited when dipping a danish (pastry) into coffee?
In most situations, the coffee and danish are both considered ikkur (primary).
Is a separate bracha recited on coffee served during a meal, including at dessert?
No — common custom is not to recite a separate blessing on coffee during a meal, even when served with…
Is a bracha recited on coffee drunk at the end of a meal?
Three opinions: (1) No bracha at all (Ben Ish Chai Naso 1:6, MB 174:39).
Is a bracha acharona (final blessing) required after drinking coffee, given that it is typically sipped slowly over a period longer than kdei achilas pras?
Yes — a bracha acharona is required after drinking coffee.
Does the Mishneh LaMelech's coffee ruling (sips combine due to normal drinking manner) prove the broader principle that halachic shiurim are measured per the normal manner of each substance (בדידיה משערינן)?
The Birchat Rosh uses the coffee case to support this principle.
Is a bracha acharona (final blessing) recited after drinking coffee? (practical survey)
Usually not — a bracha acharona is generally not recited on coffee, as it is typically sipped in small…
May coffee count toward the third person needed for zimun?
Disputed. Some poskim permit coffee/tea as sufficient for the third person to join zimun.
What blessing is said upon smelling the pleasant scent of roasted coffee?
One should recite הנותן ריח טוב בפרות (Hanotein reiah tov baperot) upon inhaling the pleasant fragrance of…
Is a bracha recited upon smelling the fragrance of coffee unintentionally? And what if intentional?
If the fragrance reached one unintentionally, no bracha is recited.
Does one recite a beracha upon smelling roasted coffee?
One who intentionally smells roasted coffee, which has a pleasant aroma, recites "asher natan rei'ach tov…

Learn it insideעיין במקור

Rambam Hilchot Brachot 3:12
Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Rambam / Maimonides), 1138–1204
When does [the requirement for a closing blessing] apply? When one ate a kezayit or more. But if one ate less than a kezayit — whether of bread or other foods — or drank less than a revi'it — whether of wine or other liquids — one recites the appropriate opening blessing for that type [of food/drink] but does not recite a closing…
במה דברים אמורים שאכל מכזית ולמעלה אבל אכל פחות מכזית בין מן הפת בין משאר אוכלין. והשותה פחות מרביעית בין מן היין בין משאר משקין. מברך בתחלה ברכה הראויה לאותו המין ולבסוף אינו מברך כלל
Rambam Hilchot Maachalot Asurot 14:9
Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon (Rambam / Maimonides), 1138–1204
Similarly, one who drinks a revi'it of stam yeinam (non-Jewish wine) in small sips, or who dissolved chametz on Pesach or [forbidden] fat and swallowed it in small sips, or who drank blood in small sips: if the elapsed time from beginning to end is within the time of drinking a revi'it, the sips combine [to constitute the prohibited…
וכן השותה רביעית של סתם יינם מעט מעט או שהמחה את החמץ בפסח או את החלב וגמעו מעט מעט. או ששתה מן הדם מעט מעט. אם שהה מתחלה ועד סוף כדי שתיית רביעית מצטרפין ואם לאו אין מצטרפין

Worth arguing aboutצריך עיון