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We are continuing siman 9, discussing the halachos of making coffee on Shabbos. Today, we will discuss pour over coffee. This refers to taking a single use coffee filter which is placed in a plastic frame and placed directly over a single cup. There are two potential issues, one being bishul and one being borrer. Assuming one avoids the issues of bishul (as we have discussed), we will focus on the issur borrer.
Some poskim permit use of a pour over based on a halacha in siman 319. The Mishnah discusses a case of wine dregs at the bottom of a barrel which still have some wine flavor in them. On pours water through them and then the water goes through a filter, and comes out as clear water. The halacha is that one can flush water through the dregs in order to impart flavor to the water.
The Bartenura explains that since it begins and ends as clear water, there is no borrer process taking place. Thus, some poskim equate this case to the question of pour overs, and assume it is muttar.
The problem with this thought process is that the Pri Megadim and Tosfos Yom Tov question why the case of the wine dregs is muttar. They point out that the next case in the Mishnah is when one uses a filter to add color to a liquid. The halacha is that it is muttar, and the Mishnah Berurah explains that color is not considered a significant enough change to the item to be considered an issue of borrer. If so, we are learning a new criteria for borrer: the borrer in question must be for a significant enough purpose. Adding color or slight flavor is not a chasuva taaruvos, so creating a taaruvos for that and then rectifying it is not a significant act of borrer. Chazal understand that adding the wine flavor from the dregs to the water is not a significant enough change in the item for there to be an issue of borrer.
Thus, it would seem to be incorrect to compare the case of the wine flavor to coffee. The imparting of flavor in question does not refer to the regular dilution of wine, but to adding a weak wine flavor to it. If so, it is not comparable to combining coffee with waterwhich is a significant change, much more than imparting a weak flavor of wine into water. Since they are using a utensil (coffee filter), it is a concern of an issur deoraysa, and that being the case, the assumption should be that it is the issur of borrer unless it is clear otherwise.
Summary
Although some compare pour over coffee to the case of wine dregs, Rabbi Reingold does not see the validity of the comparison and holds it is assur to prepare pour over coffee on Shabbos.
