brewing tea for Shabbos

meesi

Mon, Jun 20 2005, 8:27 pm

Hi,

Could someone please explain to me the correct way to brew tea on Shabbos? I already keep an urn of hot water for my coffee and use a Kli sheni, but recently, we have had guests who prefer tea and I know that I read somewhere that you cannot brew tea on Shabbos, even from water that is kept hot from before Shabbos-something about it being like "cooking" (?)

Thank you!

Chana

Yael

Mon, Jun 20 2005, 8:31 pm

one way to do it is to prepare before shabbos "tea essence" which is basically concentrated tea. that on shabbos you can pour some in a mug and add hot water.
just put a bunch of tea bags in a container with about a cupful more or less of hot water.

queen

Mon, Jun 20 2005, 8:33 pm

got to ask your own rov, however the way we were taught to do it is:

before shabbos make tea essence. (make a very strong cup of tea using multiple tea bags. when it's strong enough, throw out bags. cover liquid, and keep next to urn for shabbos. does not need to be refrigerated)

ON SHABBOS: take hot water from urn and pour into 'temporary' glass/cup. Then take that water and pour into your REAL (from where you'll drink) cup.

pour about 1/4 cup of tea essence into the water.....
and tada- you're set to go!

meesi

Mon, Jun 20 2005, 8:37 pm

Thank you very much for such quick and clear replies! So, it is true that it is forbidden to put a teabag into hot water on Shabbos, right?

Thanks again

Chana

Yael

Mon, Jun 20 2005, 8:54 pm

I dont know about whether or not it is actually forbidden to brew tea on shabbos b/c I know that different people do differently. (I know someone who says its fine) thats why its important to ask your own rav.
but I know that using the tea essence is for sure good and you dont have to worry about it.
one more thing though be careful to first pour the essence into the cup then the hot water. b/c when you pour the red tea into clear water you are coloring the water and according to some opinions this falls under the prohibition of dyeing on shabbos.

roza

Mon, Jun 20 2005, 9:03 pm

meesi wrote:

Thank you very much for such quick and clear replies! So, it is true that it is forbidden to put a teabag into hot water on Shabbos, right?

Thanks again

Chana

u can put a instant tea bag in kli sheini, for sure in kli shlishi (according to some opinions)

roza

Mon, Jun 20 2005, 9:05 pm

also get this book:

from http://www.feldheim.com/cgi-bi.....ry=72

it's nice and clear, with pictures.
(I would call it - 'laws of cooking on shabbos for dummies' ) Mr. Green

meesi

Mon, Jun 20 2005, 9:09 pm

Thank you, everyone!

Chana

queen

Mon, Jun 20 2005, 11:09 pm

about putting tea essence in water BEFORE adding the hot water------ are you not then cooking the (cold) tea essence?????????????

I'm going to have to ask about this as I was taught from home- water first. then essence.

roza

Tue, Jun 21 2005, 1:42 am

queen wrote:

I'm going to have to ask about this as I was taught from home- water first. then essence.

right- in kli sheini u put water first, then essence or instant tea bag ( ok according to some opinions). BUT if you are going to put sugar in it then kli sheini can cook sugar, so you will need to transfer the whole thing in kli shlishi and then add sugar.

TzenaRena

Tue, Jun 21 2005, 4:39 am

Chapter 7 of Shabbos KaHalacha volume I, Chapter 14, vol.II by Rabbi Yekusiel Farkash ( reknowned Rav in Yerushalayim) has a comprehensive discussion of all these halachos according to several shitos, including the Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch, also the Mishna Brurah.

There are several melachos one could violate if one didn't know the correct way to do it, by using a tea bag, but by using it the right way, it is not a problem.

1. Bishul:done properly it will not be bishul.

Make sure the cup is dry, pour in the water from the kli rishon (the kettle), this cup is the kli sheni [2nd]. Pour over to kli shlishi [3rd]- another cup. You can pour it from kli sheni onto the teabag (irui) . Or just put the teabag into the kli shlishi.Same applies to sugar and milk.

2. Straining- mesanen (under category of meraked or borer): Teabag could be considered a kind of filter, but for reasons(very elaborate,discussed at length in poskim)putting it in is allowed. moving the teabag around in the water( I.e. to release the flavor better) R' Farkash allows.(only if you drink it right away). Also, how to remove the tea bag, so as not to transgress borer according to some* one may remove the tea bag, but with a spoon, [so as not to let drops drip back into water which would be sinun (filtering-straining) through a kli, if done intentionally ]

3. About the string issue, he doesn't write. It might be in the next volume when he gets to the melacha of tzovea(coloring), which is not out yet. However, I understand that not all authorities feel it is a problem, and I know that at a shiur in hilchos bishul, we were told that it wasn't, according to our (chabad) sources.

Tefila

Tue, Jun 21 2005, 4:51 am

Quote:

Straining- mesanen (under category of meraked or borer): Teabag could be considered a kind of filter, but for reasons(very elaborate,discussed at length in poskim)putting it in is allowed. moving the teabag around in the water( I.e. to release the flavor better) R' Farkash allows.(only if you drink it right away). Also, how to remove the tea bag, so as not to transgress borer according to some* one may remove the tea bag, but with a spoon, [so as not to let drops drip back into water which would be sinun (filtering-straining) through a kli, if done intentionally ]

. yep thats what we do Exclamation