Making Tea on Shabbat
- According to many poskim tea leaves are considered foods which cook easily and could cook in a Kli Sheni and therefore it's forbidden to put a tea bag in a cup and pour upon it boiling water from the urn, nor may the tea bag be put in a cup in which water was poured from an urn.[107]
- The preferable way of making tea on Shabbat is to use instant tea which may be placed in a Kli Sheni (a cup with water which was poured from an urn) and better yet in a Kli Shelishi (a cup with water which was poured from a Kli Sheni).[108]
- Another preferable method is to prepare "tea essence" by cooking a tea bag before Shabbat, saving the flavored liquid, and putting it into a Kli Sheni (a cup with hot water which was poured from an urn).[109] Some question this practice when the tea essence is prepared before Shabbat in a kli sheni which is what is commonly done.[110] When making tea essence the bags should be removed before Shabbat to avoid the issue of Borer. If one didn't one can pour off tea essence as long as the liquid in the tea covers the bags of tea.[111]
- Lastly, if one didn't prepare tea essence before Shabbat some poskim are lenient to make tea using a Kli Shelishi by pouring boiling water from an urn to a cup (Kli Sheni) and from that cup to another cup (Kli Shelishi) and putting the tea bag in the Kli Shelishi.[112]
- According to many poskim, one should not place a sliced lemon in a cup of tea because of the issue of cooking on Shabbat.[113] According to others, one may pour from a kli sheni onto lemon juice.[114]
- It is permitted to pour hot water from a kli rishon onto cold droplets in a cup that is still wet. One should first shake it off to remove as much moisture as possible. Someone who is careful to dry it first will be blessed.[115]
- Since sugar is already cooked one could even put the sugar in the cup before pouring hot water from the urn on top of it (Iruy Kli Rishon) and certainly add it to a cup of hot tea that was already poured (Kli Sheni).[116]
sources
https://www.halachipedia.com/index.php?title=Bishul#Making_Tea_on_Shabbat