Answer by Rabbi Chaim Hillel Raskin, Moreh Hora’ah at Beis Hora’ah of Rechovot, Israel:
The minimum amount of drink that obligates reciting a bracha acharona is a revi’is (2.9 oz., 86 gram). Some say that for wine the measure is the volume of a kazayis which is about 1 oz. (1), and one should therefore not drink between 1 and 2.9 oz. to avoid a doubt (2).
Poskim discuss whether ice cream or yogurt is considered a food or a liquid (3). The ruling is thatif it is gulped it is a liquid and the shiur for a bracha acharona is a revi’is, but if it is thick enough that one must use his tongue to swallow it, it is a food and the shiur is a kazayis (4).
In order for the sips to add up to a revi’is they must be consumed within a certain timeframe. Some say that it is the same as for food – kdei achilas pras, six minutes, while others say it is a shorter timeframe, namely the time it takes to normally drink a revi’is, which is less than a half a minute. In his final ruling, the Alter Rebbe sides with the longer six-minute time-frame (5).
For a hot drink or smoothie which is normally consumed slowly, some say that the timeframe is as long as it normally takes to drink a revi’is of that drink which can be much longer (6). However, the consensus of poskim is to treat it like a regular drink (7).
If a person is uncertain whether he met the timeframe, he does not make a bracha acharona, since in case of doubt one does not recite a bracha because safek brachos l’hakel (8). It is recommended that he complete the shiur, so that he can recite the bracha acharona.
SOURCES:
.1 שו”ע או”ח סימן ק”צ ס”ג בנוגע יין, וראה מג”א שם סק”ד שס”ל כן בשאר שאר משקים.
.2 סדר ברה”נ פ”ח ה”א ע”פ רא”ש ברכות פ”ז סכ”ד. וראה קצוה”ש סי’ נ”ט בדה”ש ג’.
.3 ראה שערי ברכה פרק י”ד הע’ י’ באריכות.
.4 סדר ברכה”נ שם הל’ ח’. וראה שוע”ר או”ח סי’ קנ”ח ס”ח.
.5 שיטת הראב”ד בהגהות על הרמב”ם הלכות תרומות פ”י ה”ג.
.6 ראה מג”א או”ח סי’ ר”י סק”א שמדייק כן ברמב”ם הל’ שביתת עשור פ”ב ה”ד.
.7 בלוח ברה”נ פ”ב הל’ ז’ כתב שספק ברכות להקל, אך בסדר ברה”נ פ”ח הל’ ו’ פסק בכא”פ. וראה מש”כ המהרי”ל בשארית יהודה או”ח סי’ ט”ו בשיטת אדה”ז שדברים ששיעורם ברביעית שיעור זמנם גם לרמב”ם הוא בכא”פ, אך בקידוש ושתי’ ביוה”כ ששיעורם פחות מרביעית דעת הרמב”ם ששיעור זמנם ברביעית.
.8 משנ”ב סי’ ר”ז סק”ד.
Published by Lma’an Yishme’u of MerkazAnash.com.
Because the coffee or tea isn’t consumed, it’s thrown away. This is an open halacha in Shulchon Oruch. The real shayla that poskim discuss is why hot chocolate is not ho’eitz, and why beer is not mezonos. But in both cases the psak is shehakol.
The coffee is the flavor to a cup of water so that klal about how the bean is eaten does not apply.
If so, Why not make a Ha’Etz on coffee?
Since the coffee bean isn’t eaten except by way of drinking coffee, the bracha should be ha’adoma on the coffee beverage!
Wow. Never thought of it.
What bracha does one say on a punch type drink with grape juice in it for color and taste but not much juice.?