[Avodah] Eating Before Davening

[Akiva Miller]

.
R' David Riceman asked:

> It's true that several poskim rule that one may drink tea or
> coffee before davening. I'm unaware of anyone who includes milk
> or sugar in the leniency.

See
https://www.halachipedia.com/index.php?title=Eating_Before_Davening#cite_note-5

> What bothers me is that the stated reason is that they are maya
> b'alma. Now that we consider them psychotropic drugs, and, thus,
> devarim hashuvim, how can the heter still apply?

My wild guess is that these drinks are l'tzorech hatefilah, precisely
because they *are* psychotropic. On days that I oversleep, and I don't have
time for coffee before minyan, it is a bit more difficult to concentrate.

Now, I concede that if we'd ask a posek, RDR's point might prevail over my
teirutz. Either way, though, the question about "devarim hashuvim" stands.

So I'd like to enlarge the question: Exactly how do we define this category
of "maya b'alma", and might it have different definitions for different
halachos?

If coffee and tea NOT "maya b'alma", are they be subject to Bishul Akum?
If coffee and tea ARE "maya b'alma", can we drink them before Havdala?
If coffee and tea ARE "maya b'alma", do we say Shehakol if we're not
thirsty, and we're only drinking it for medicinal/psychotropic purposes?
Maybe there are other areas of halacha to ask about also?
PS: I gotta tell ya folks, this "maya b'alma" business has been bothering
me for a long time, and I thank RDR for this opportunity to ask about it.
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