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Rav Eliyahu Reingold, Rosh Kollel in the Yeshiva of Greater Washington, spent many years learning in the Telshe Yeshiva and Kollel where he was recognized as one of their foremost talmidim. He taught in the Telshe Mechina before coming to the Yeshiva of Greater Washington. He is a noted Baal Halacha and Baal Mussar, serving as a well-respected posek for the Yeshiva and community. Besides his responsibility in leading the Kollel, he delivers a high level shiur to advanced students, and provides many halacha shiurim throughout the year. His heartfelt weekly mussar shmuess in an inspiration to all.
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Merakeid 6 - Teabags; Orange Juice (Klal 18) Hilchos Shabbos - S0480
We have finished Klal 18, and are discussing a few points not mentioned in the Chayei Adam. If a person makes tea and wishes to remove the teabag on Shabbos, if they remove the teabag and allow the water within the teabag to drip out, it is merakeid. The paper of the teabag is a fine filter which is separating the water from the tea leaves, and it assur.
Regarding making tea on Shabbos, many do not make tea on Shabbos itself because of the concept of kalei habishul, that tea cooks easily and therefore will cook in a kli sheini. According to the Mishnah Berurah, kalei habishul are not a concern in a kli shlishi, so it is muttar to make tea in a kli shlishi. The Chazon Ish disagrees, and holds that kalei habishul is a concern even in a kli shlishi. According to the Chazon Ish, one solution is to make a concentrate of tea before Shabbos by pouring a small amount of water over a number of teabags. This liquid is colloquially known as tea essence.
Preferably, one should remove the teabags before Shabbos in order to avoid issues of borrer. If they do not remove it before Shabbos, they encounter the issue mentioned above, that when removing the teabag from the water they are performing merakeid. One solution is to pick up the teabag with a spoon, such that the liquid within the teabag is not separated from the teabag. We do not consider the teabag and outside water as a taroves (such that one would be performing borrer from the cup when removing the teabag), as the teabag is akin to an egg in water, in that both items are large enough that they are distinct.
The issue of taroves comes up between the tea leaves and water within the teabag. By picking up the teabag with a spoon, the entire mixture is being removed, so there is no issue of borrer. Any liquid which does come out is caught by the spoon.
Alternatively, Dayan Weiss suggests that one can quickly remove the teabag and throw it straight into the garbage.
A person who does make tea on Shabbos would still need to employ the same solutions regarding the teabag.
If one prefers to leave the teabag inside, as long as there is a large amount of liquid in the cup, they are drinking or pouring from the upper area which is not in a state of taroves with the bottom. Once they get closer to the bottom, they are pulling liquid out of the teabag while using the teabag as the vehicle to prevent the tea leaves from coming out. It then becomes an issue of borrer (merakeid). Therefore, it is suggested to remove the teabag before Shabbos.
If a person wants to use a strainer to remove pulp from orange juice, Rav Moshe holds it is muttar because most people consider juice with pulp as drinkable. Rabbi Reingold suggests that this psak applied at the time of Rav Moshe, but nowadays, it has become much more common and preferred to avoid drinking orange juice with pulp. When Rabbi Reingold was growing up, the majority of orange juice was sold with pulp, and it would appear that is no longer true. However, it would require proper research, and not just anecdotal evidence, to establish a new reality. Either way, since the pulp is edible, it will be an issur derabanan.
Summary
When making tea for Shabbos, one should preferably make tea essence before Shabbos and remove the teabags before Shabbos as well. If they did not, they should remove the teabag with a spoon, such that liquid does not drip out from under it, or they should pull it out quickly without stopping to allow the water in the teabag to drip into the tea.
Rav Moshe writes that one can use a strainer to remove pulp from orange juice, since most people consider it edible.