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The 6 Best Kosher Coffee Brands

Rebecca Hanlon
Last Updated: April 5th, 2023

Being on a Kosher diet should not stop you from drinking your favorite coffee. In its natural form, coffee is considered Kosher-approved. But, when you add flavors or artificial sweeteners, your coffee becomes non-kosher.

If you’re looking for the best approved Kosher coffee brands, this article is for you. We did our research and listed five of the best Kosher coffee brands.

And, to help you understand, let’s also dive deeper into what Kosher really is. Let’s get started.

What is Kosher?

Kosher is adhering strictly to a dietary practice from the Jewish religious tradition. When a certain brand gets Kosher certification, Jewish people following the diet are safe to consume its products.

This also means that a rabbi has overseen the production process. He ensures that it adheres to the standards.

There are three categories of Kosher foods: pareve, meat, and dairy. Pareve foods include the following:

  • Fruits
  • Eggs
  • Grains
  • Coffee
  • Vegetables
  • Tea

The pareve category is also the least complex among the three.

But, it’s easier for them to become non-kosher. Especially when prepared where dairy and meat are also prepared.

Kosher Coffee, Explained

kosher coffee explained

The natural form of coffee during its roasting process is strictly kosher. This is because the process only allows the coffee to contact water. It’s made strictly from java beans and water.

But, when techniques make coffee flavored or decaffeinated, it becomes an issue. Doing this transforms your coffee into a non-kosher drink.

Knowing whether a decaffeinated coffee is kosher or not depends on the methods used. The water-based method involves decaffeinating your coffee by adding water and activated carbon. This method is natural and does not make your coffee non-kosher.

But if the method is ethyl acetate based, your drink becomes non-kosher. This is because a chemical process is involved, and ethyl acetate comes from grains.

Artificial tastes, such as pumpkin spice or vanilla, can also alter your coffee and make it non-kosher.

The Benefits of Kosher-Certified Coffee

Switching to a Kosher diet brings you more health benefits than you think. The following are the advantages of drinking Kosher-certified coffee:

  • Guaranteed protocols are followed to control the preparation of your coffee
  • Ensured high-quality standards
  • It can help improve your healthy eating habits and develop self-control
  • You don’t need to be stressed about any food allergy with Kosher-certified coffee
  • Your coffee is healthier to drink because no preservatives or artificial flavorings are added.

And, if you have religious stipulations, switching to kosher food can be a big decision for that reason too.

Famous Brands that are Certified-Kosher

kosher certified coffee

You will be surprised that most famous coffee brands are Kosher-approved. For example, you have Starbucks, which has all its coffee products Kosher certified. Starbucks greatly relies on OU to supervise its coffee-making processes.

Another Kosher-approved famous brand is Nestle, especially Tasters Choice and Nescafe. You can also find that all Nestle’s products have the OU stamp. This means that these products are strictly Kosher.

Lastly, Folgers from J.M Smucker Co also obtains its certification from the OU.

Kosher Vs. Kosher for Passover

Most people are confused with Kosher and Kosher for Passover. These two diets are different, and Kosher for Passover is a stricter version of Kosher.

Kosher for Passover foods exclude anything leavened, so you cannot consume the following grains:

  • Barley
  • Wheat
  • Rye
  • Oats

This stricter diet also does not allow pastries, pasta, or alcoholic beverages. Aside from not consuming them, you should also not come into contact with these foods.

Unflavoured ground coffee drinks are acceptable for Kosher for Passover, except when they are decaffeinated.

For instant coffees, most brands contain wheat or corn. So, to be more certain, choose brands with Passover certification or the OU symbol.

Top 5 Best Kosher Coffee Brands

Now that you know a bit about what kosher coffee is, let’s look at the top kosher brands. Here are a few picks that you should be aware of.

1. Fresh Roasted Coffee

Pros

  • Certified Kosher and vegetarian, so it’s safe to consume if you’re on a strict diet
  • Combines cherry and honey notes, so your coffee has a balanced flavour
  • Undergoes a unique roasting process, so it guarantees to produce fresh coffee
  • Airtight packaging maintains the beans’ freshness and aroma

Cons

  • The coffee can be bitter, so it might not be the best option for beginner coffee drinkers.

Fresh Roasted Coffee is a proud South American brand. It features Kosher, vegetarian, and vegan coffee beans for any diet. All coffee beans from Fresh Roasted Coffee are locally sourced and grown.

This brand also uses Loring Smart Roasters for a better roasting environment. Thanks to the smart roasters, the roasting environment is smokeless, reducing possible emissions.

Also, nitrogen is flushed to maintain this brand’s coffee freshness. This guarantees a classic cup with enough strength and caffeine.

For the best flavor, try Fresh Roasted Coffee’s Colombian Supremo. It has a bold roast body, enhancing your coffee’s aroma and flavor profiles.

2. Cafe Britt

Pros

  • 100% premium Arabica beans, so you get the perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness
  • Carbon-neutral, so emissions are less during roasting to preserve the beans’ flavor
  • Certified organic, so it contains health benefits
  • Harvested from good soil with high mineral content, so your coffee won’t taste acidic
  • Grown in a cool microclimate, so the beans produced are high-quality

Cons

  • It’s a premium bean, so it’s more expensive than other options

Cafe Britt takes pride in being one of the first gourmet coffee brands in Costa Rica. All coffee beans from this brand undergo a meticulous roasting process to extract all their flavors and aroma.

Also, this brand is famous for its triple-layer bag to seal the coffee beans. This maintains their flavor and freshness.

Cafe Britt also guarantees high-quality standards. The roasting process involves small batches of coffee beans. This ensures that each bean is roasted and extracted to perfection.

Most of Cafe Britt’s beans are also single-origin. This means that all the beans are sourced from a single location, leading to well-balanced and nuanced coffee.

3. Mount Hagen Organic Fair Trade

Pros

  • It’s organic, so you can also receive health benefits
  • Gluten-free and dairy-free, so you can drink this coffee even when you’re lactose intolerant
  • Freeze-dried, so you can still taste the coffee’s freshness and rich flavor
  • It’s vegan, so it’s safe to consume when you’re on a vegan diet
  • The coffee is of single-origin, so you can guarantee it has a velvety and smooth texture

Cons

  • The coffee’s intense flavors can make it too bitter for beginner drinkers.

Mount Hagen produces the best kosher coffee out there if you prefer instant coffee. This brand makes freeze-dried instant coffee granules. It ensures that the coffee’s bold and rich flavors are preserved.

Mount Hagen also specializes in using airtight bottles as their packaging. That keeps your coffee tasting fresh long into the future.

Mount Hagen Organic Fair Trade instant coffee is also gluten-free and organic. This makes it healthy and suitable for all coffee drinkers, not just those who need kosher coffee.

4. Kicking Horse Coffee

Pros

  • Certified organic and fairtrade, so coffee has health benefits and high-quality beans
  • Single-origin, ensuring beans undergo proper quality check during the roasting process
  • Premium Arabica beans, so your coffee has a balanced flavor

Cons

  • It’s expensive because it’s made with premium beans.

Kicking Horse Coffee is famous for its fairtrade coffee. The brand believes that organic fairtrade beans ensure that they are of high quality.

Kicking Horse Coffee locally grows, harvests, and processes all its beans. This ensures that its coffee beans undergo the best roasting and extraction.

If you’re trying out coffee from this brand, try their decaffeinated blend. Kicking Horse Coffee guarantees that their decaffeinated coffee undergoes the Swiss Water Process. This ensures that even their decaf has bold and rich flavor profiles.

5. Hebrew Coffee’s Kibbitz Blend

Pros

  • Made from gourmet Arabica beans, giving you the perfect sweet and bitter balance
  • Also contains nutty and sweet herbal undertones, so even beginner drinkers can enjoy this

Cons

  • It’s premium, so it can be expensive.
  • Not for strong coffee drinkers because of the sweet undertones

Hebrew Coffee’s Kibbitz Blend stays true to the Jewish culture. This brand makes different coffee blends suitable for any time of the day. And the Kibbitz Blend is perfect for casual drinking without too much bitterness.

Coffee beans from Hebrew Coffee are crafted in small batches. This ensures they undergo the proper process to achieve the best blend and flavor profiles.

With the Kibbitz Blend, you will enjoy a smooth and velvety texture in every sip.

6. Volcanica Coffee

Volcanica Coffee is one of our favorite sources of unique beans. One of our favorites is the Costa Rican Peaberry beans. Not only are these beans sustainably sourced, but they are also considered to be one of the best Kosher coffee options on the market.   

Medium roast beans tend to have a slight bitterness, due to the length of roasting. However, Volcanica Coffee’s Costa Rica Peaberry is sweet and flavorful with a rich and bright aroma, minus the bitterness. If you enjoy a flavorful coffee and don’t want to work too hard for a perfect cup, this offering from Volcanica is a perfect option.

Besides being certified as a Kosher food, Volcanic Coffee Peaberry coffee is always hand-picked. This detailed process of harvesting coffee berries means that the coffee product you get from Volcanica is always the highest quality. Handpicking also means less impact on our planet.

Volcanica’s Peaberry coffee is a perfect balance of sweet, warm, and fruity flavors. Its profile is a perfect example of beans grown in the Terrazu region of Costa Rica. This beautiful aroma and flavor profile is what makes the Volcanica Coffee Peaberry beans one of our very favorites.

Special Certifications:

  • Rainforest Alliance Certified
  • Kosher Certified

Flavor Notes:

  • Honey
  • Lemon
  • Almond

Pros

  • Hand-picked beans for the highest quality coffee
  • All Volcanica coffees are roasted in-house for a consistent result
  • Beans are small batch roasted and shipped right after roasting
  • Single-origin coffee for a perfect example of Costa Rica Tarrazu Peaberry coffee     

Cons

  • Might be considered more of a medium-dark roast
  • Lemon notes can come across as bitter
  • Volcanica is more expensive than other coffee brands

Choose The Best Kosher Coffee Brands For Your Diet

If you’re on a strict Kosher diet but still love coffee, any of these blends make a great choice.

And, if you want to understand the Jewish tradition of drinking coffee, try Hebrew Coffee. This brand takes pride in staying true to Jewish culture. You can certainly taste how a Jewish enjoys his coffee with these coffee beans.

Enjoy your favorite morning pick-me-up while still adhering to special diets!

About The Author

Rebecca Hanlon

Rebecca has been a blogger for over 5 years, before that enjoying a number of jobs to fund her passion for travel. She's taught English as a foreign language, a part-time Barista, a waitress, and a tour guide.

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