Articles

By Rabbi Dovid Cohen, Administrative Rabbinic Coordinator

Q. Can we purchase tea without hashgachah?

A. Tea bags for plain black, white, and green tea are acceptable for use without hashgachah.  These are made from dried tea leaves (particularly from orange pekoe) and do not pose any kashrus concerns.  They are also acceptable in decaffeinated form, except that for Pesach the decaf versions should have hashgachah to ensure that the caffeine was not removed using a chametz-based solvent.

If, however, something is added to the tea leaves, then hashgachah is required.  Some simple examples of that are chai tea, herbal tea, and iced tea mixes.  These often contain more than just dried leaves, and a quick perusal of the ingredient panel will let you know if any additives are present.  Two teas which are sometimes included in this category are Earl Grey tea and Rooibos tea.  Classic Earl Grey tea is made by adding bergamot oil (from the rind of a type of orange) to black tea, and if those are the only ingredients, then it may be used without hashgachah.  However, some manufacturers add bergamot “flavor” (or other ingredients) and, in those cases, it should only be used if certified kosher.  Rooibos tea is made from the leaves of a specific botanical (and is naturally free of caffeine), but it often has other ingredients added to it which makes it kosher sensitive.

The above is specific to tea leaves or tea bags which the consumer will convert into a beverage, but the same is not true of ready-to-drink tea beverages.  Even if the ingredients in those beverages are 100% kosher, there is a concern that they were processed on equipment that is either used for non-kosher beverages (in the case of bottled drinks) or washed with non-kosher utensils (when the beverage is purchased at a Starbucks or similar retail outlet).  Therefore, these items should only be used if they bear certification, or under the direction of a kashrus professional who can judge the possible concerns.

Regardless of which tea you choose to drink, there is a significant question regarding reciting a bracha acharonah after a hot tea.  On the one hand, the general rule is that a bracha acharonah is only recited if a person drank a revi’is (about 3 ounces) within a few seconds, which is not possible for hot tea.  On the other hand, (a) maybe that requirement doesn’t apply to hot beverages, since it is typical to drink them slowly, and (b) some say that the drinking just has to be finished in 3-4 minutes (rather than in a few seconds).  Mishnah Berurah says that the bottom line is that one should not recite a bracha acharonah, unless they drank a revi’is in a few seconds, and notes that scrupulous individuals will allow some of the beverage to cool down, so they can drink the last few ounces in that short time span.

As relates to Shabbos, Mishnah Berurah says that tea is considered “kalei habishul” (an item that cooks easily) and, therefore, tea leaves or bags cannot be put into a kli sheini on Shabbos.  [Instead, the person should pre-cook the leaves into a tea “essence” before Shabbos, and then some of that liquid can be put into a kli sheini of hot water on Shabbos.]  Some suggest that this is limited to a kli sheini, but one may brew tea in a kli shlishi, i.e., not in the original pot (kli rishon) the water was heated in, and not in the cup into which that water was placed (kli sheini), but rather another cup (kli shlishi) that the water was poured into from the kli sheini.  Others say that tea may not even be made in a kli shlishi, and consumers should get direction on this matter from their Rabbi.

This article first appeared in the Let’s Talk Kashrus column, Yated Ne’eman, September 13, 2024.