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We are continuing siman 9, discussing the halachos of making coffee on Shabbos. Today, we will discuss cold brew coffee.
One of the ways to make coffee is as a cold brew, in which the coffee grinds are placed in a porous cylindrical filter within a pitcher such that water can cascade around it for 24-48 hours. When pouring from the pitcher, there is a potential borrer issue occurring because the filter serves as a kli. A similar question would apply to making tea and taking from the bottom of the cup where the tea bag is sitting.
We differentiate between the taroves and other parts of the cup or pitcher. In other words, the area where the grinds or tea bag or pitcher is sitting is considered a taroves with the water, but the water above it is not considered to be in a taroves with the grinds or tea bag. Thus, the top few inches of a cup are almost certainly not in a taroves, and pouring off those few inches is muttar. Once the water level gets lower, such that it is noticeable that the water which is part of the taroves is coming out, it is a problem. (It is often noticeable that the water from the lowest part of the cup is coming out, as its color will be much darker.)
Dayan Weiss discusses whether it is muttar to remove the tea bag from the cup in order to drink the entire cup. There is a taroves of water and tea leaves inside the cup, but the tea bag is fairly distinct vis a vis the rest of the water in the cup. We have learned that one of the criteria for taroves is that the items not be distinct; if they are distinct, there will not be an issue of taroves.
Dayan Weiss suggests that the tea bag does not have the status of taroves vis a vis the water in the cup, and therefore it is muttar to move it. However, if one lifts up the tea bag and allows for any water within the tea bag to drip back into the cup, they are certainly performing borrer by separating between the tea leaves and the water in the tea bag. Therefore, one should take the tea bag quickly and immediately throw it out.
Following the opinions that it is muttar to make tea in a kli shlishi (which we will discuss when we learn bishul, be’eszras Hashem), the same halachos will apply to reusing the tea bag for another cup. We will clarify this halacha further, be’ezras Hashem.
Summary
To avoid borrer both with tea or coffee bags, one must either only drink the liquid which is clearly distinct from the grinds, or remove the tea bag quickly.
