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Cups of Coffee Over the Morning

This question concerns as to when I should be making a bracha rishona, and as to when I should be making a bracha acharona. I drink a cup of coffee in my office in my house at say 9.30 am. I know at the time I make a brocha that I am going to have more drinks throughout the morning, but I don’t know when. Maybe I will have another hot drink, perhaps a coffee or a tea or a fruit tea, or maybe a glass of water half an hour later, or maybe an hour later, or maybe an hour and a half later, depending on how involved I get with my work. I may even go out before having another drink. Because I sip a hot drink whilst it is hot and take sips maybe every few minutes, by the time I come to finish the hot drink it has gone cold, and usually the last gulp or two is a reviit. I am not clear as to after how much time I need to make a new bracha rishona, and as to how much time needs to elapse from the last drink I had before I can no longer make a brocha acharona. It would suit me to say a bracha rishona before each drink, and a bracha acharona after each drink, but somebody said to me that I may end up making berachot in vain if I do this. Please advise me as to what I should be doing, ie as to when I should be making a bracha rishona, and as to when I should be making a bracha acharona in the above circumstances. Thank you.

Answer:

Under the circumstances you should make a beracha acharona after drinking the revi’is of coffee.

The reason for this is that although a person who drinking on and off continually during the morning does not need to make new berachos each time he drinks (and therefore should not make new berachos), in your case there are times when the next drink will be far removed from the first one (so that the future beracha acharona won’t apply to the first drink), or might even not come at all.

Therefore, to avoid the chance of not reciting the appropriate beracha, the best course is to simply recite the appropriate beracha after drinking the cup. Under the circumstances this is not considered an unnecessary beracha, because it is required to ensure that you make the right berachos, and for later drinking you will just make the relevant berachos anew.

Best wishes.

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