Bracha on Coffee and Tea

Prayers and Blessings
1

Hello,

  1. I know that it’s been said on this forum that chocolate has a bracha of haetz. Is this true for milk chocolate and lesser % cacao as well?

  2. Would the bracha on coffee be ha’etz as well for the same reason?

  3. Would the bracha on tea be ha’adama? I’ve see some שו״ת that discuss this, but none really hold to say Haetz/adama on tea or coffee l’maaseh, though it may be right in theory. What do you suggest? Thanks!

2

  1. Still haetz.

  2. Coffee is shehakol, not haetz.

  3. Tea is also shehakol, not ha’adama.

3

If you want to understand the topic more thoroughly you can start by figuring out what bracha we make on beer and why…

4

Interesting. I saw the tshuva of the Rosh regarding just that, but it seems like S”A Siman רה seif ב says something else. Any guidance?

5

You may find this article informative and help answer your question.

Bracha on Coffee and Tea - Halachipedia Bracha on Coffee and Tea - Halachipedia

6

תוספות ברכות דף לח

PXL_20210507_151853405~2
PXL_20210507_151853405~21463×1739 713 KB

7

See Shulchan Aruch 204:1 about beer.

8

Interesting siman, especially about blessing (before and after) a forbidden food or drink if one’s health is in danger.

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3338332/jewish/Shulchan-Aruch-Chapter-204-Blessings-for-Other-Types-of-Foods.htm

So beer obviously takes on ‘flavored water’ status? Did anyone make a bracha other than shehakol?

9

Thank you! As a follow-up, it was said on this forum that olives are only edible in their earliest form of processing as pickles and kakao beans are only edible once made into chocolate. Can we explain coffee in a similar way and say that it’s earliest edible form is once brewed and therefore should be ha’etz?

(I’m not looking to change what bracha to say on a practical level, just interested in looking a bit more into this and entertaining some other ideas for the sake of the learning. No challenges or offense intended.)

Thanks!

10

Everyone agrees beer is shehakol

11

Nope. When the coffee beans become edible won’t have a bearing on the bracha of coffee.