The Kosher Starbucks Menu

We've covered the secret menu at Starbucks before, as well as the healthiest summer drinks at the coffee chain. (No word on how the Starbucks' energy drinks will fare.) But one list we've never covered before at Starbucks: kosher. Fortunately, one Orthodox Jew has taken on the task to catalog what's kosher, and not kosher, to eat and drink at the coffee chain.

The New York Times interviewed Uri Ort, a Lower East Side resident and the authority on "coffee kosherology." Ort works to separate drinks and foods on his website, kosherstarbucks.com, for kosher keepers who love a good latte. He spent time with baristas around the country and studied how they wash their tools, make their drinks, and keep kosher. The problem isn't with the coffee beans and water: it's mostly in how the carafes, mixers, and even knives (from the breakfast sandwiches) are washed. If a tool used for a non-kosher drink is used on say, a latte, it causes big problems.

So what exactly is kosher and what isn't? Well, the drinks that get the green light: Tazo teas and hot chocolate. The drinks that get the red light? Frappuccinos, and white hot chocolate, for starters. And don't even get started on the toppings: caramel drizzle is out, but the mocha drizzle and whipped cream are OK. For those who are very strict in keeping kosher, be warned: the dishwashers in Starbucks only heat up to 180 degrees, a sanitary temperature but hot enough to absorb non-kosher particles into a washed pot. You can check up on Ort's menu to see what drinks are kosher and not.