Is Coffee Kosher for Passover?

Coffee production poses many Passover concerns, so special Kosher for Passover certification is required.

See over 560 coffee products certified OK Kosher for Passover

5 coffee concerns on Passover

1. Instant coffee is frequently spray dried. While most coffee facilities own their own spray dryers, some send their products to be spray dried at outside (non-coffee) facilities. These outside facilities could be drying many other products including chometz. Without proper hashgacha and koshering between runs it would render the products not acceptable for Pesach
2. Another challenge relates specifically to decaffeinated coffee. One of the methods used to decaffeinate the coffee relies on the use of ethyl acetate, which can be derived from chometz.
3. Some facilities that pack coffee also pack drinks derived from grains. Though not a year-round kashrus concern, this can be a Passover concern if there is no hashgacha to ensure that the equipment was properly cleaned for Passover.
4. In addition, over the years coffee has become quite an expensive product. An unscrupulous company may have an incentive to adulterate the coffee with other ingredients, which could again be chometz.
5. Flavored coffees come with a separate set of possible concerns. Flavors can be made up of many ingredients, including many which are unacceptable for Passover and may even be non-kosher. For this reason, flavored coffee requires a hechsher for year-round use and should be avoided on Passover unless bearing a special Passover certification.