Making a Beracha when Smelling a Tea Bag or Coffee
BY RABBI YOSEF ZVI RIMON
Many tea bags and coffee powders come with strong and pleasant aromas. This raises a practical question: when we smell a tea bag or coffee powder, must we recite the beracha over besamim? And if so, which one?
To begin with, the beracha of besamim is recited only on something intended to be smelled. The Gemara explains that if an item is not made for smelling, no beracha is said (Berachot 53a). For this reason, one does not make a beracha over mugmar used to scent clothing, since its purpose is to perfume garments, not to be enjoyed as a fragrance (Shulchan Aruch 217:3). The same applies to scented laundry detergents.
This principle leads to a discussion about spices used mainly for cooking. Their primary function is flavor, not scent. According to Shulchan Aruch HaRav, such spices are not considered “made for smelling,” so no beracha is recited over them when merely smelled (Seder Birkat Hanehenin 11:9). Others, however, argue that although a spice is usually not designated for smelling, the moment a person intentionally takes it for fragrance, it gains the status of something meant for that purpose. The Mishnah Berurah (297:10) and many later authorities rule accordingly.
The Shulchan Aruch (216:2) states that if someone takes food with the intention to smell it, he recites the beracha “haNoten re’ach tov b’peirot” (based on Berachot 43b). This leads to a debate regarding cloves. Shulchan Aruch and the Taz (297:4) classify cloves as something used for food (even if only as a flavoring), and therefore suitable for the beracha “haNoten re’ach tov b’peirot”. The Levush (216:3) disagrees, arguing that something never eaten on its own cannot be called a “fruit,” and therefore that beracha does not apply. Indeed, Shulchan Aruch elsewhere (202:16) rules that someone who eats a clove by itself makes no beracha at all.
For this reason, according to the Levush, the correct beracha over cloves is “borei atzei vesamim,” a ruling followed by many Sephardim (Chazon Ovadia, Berachot, p. 309). Other authorities, such as the Eliyah Rabbah and many Ashkenazi poskim, conclude that due to the dispute, one should use the more general blessing “borei minei vesamim.” This is also the tendency of the Mishnah Berurah (297:16). Several Rishonim likewise imply that cloves should receive “borei minei vesamim” as the primary beracha, because “borei atzei vesamim” is reserved for trees planted for fragrance.
Cinnamon follows a similar pattern: Sephardic custom is “borei atzei vesamim” (Yalkut Yosef 216:4), while Ashkenazim generally recite “borei minei vesamim” (Shulchan Aruch HaRav, Seder Birkat Hanehenin 11:3).
This brings us to tea bags and coffee powder. Tea leaves in a bag are not eaten at all. Consequently, the proper blessing on their fragrance is “borei minei vesamim” for Ashkenazim, and “borei atzei vesamim” or “borei isvei vesamim” for Sephardim, with “borei minei vesamim” used in cases of uncertainty.
Coffee powder presents a more complex case. The Mishnah Berurah (216:16) notes that since the powder itself was eaten in his time (often mixed with sugar), its fragrance would require the beracha “haNoten re’ach tov b’peirot.” Today, however, coffee powder is not eaten by itself in any form. It is used just like tea leaves – as a base for a drink. For this reason, its blessing aligns with that of tea: “borei minei vesamim” for Ashkenazim and “borei atzei vesamim” for Sephardim. These may also be used for the besamim of Havdalah, though it is preferable to designate special spices for that purpose (Mishnah Berurah 297:10).
While one may make a beracha over the smell of coffee powder, the aroma of the drink itself requires separate consideration. Someone who is drinking coffee does not make a beracha over its smell, since he is taking it for drinking, not for fragrance (Tosafot, Berachot 43b; Rosh, Berachot 8:3; Shulchan Aruch 216:2). “Borei minei vesamim” is recited only when the item is taken for the purpose of smelling.
What if a person intends both to smell and to drink? The Rosh holds that a beracha is recited (ibid.). The Vilna Gaon argues that because the beverage is primarily meant for consumption, no beracha is said (Biur HaGra to 216). The Biur Halacha evaluates these positions and concludes that if someone genuinely takes a food or drink both to smell and to consume, he should recite the beracha. Even the Gra, he notes, would agree that if one takes it specifically to smell first, a beracha is appropriate, even if it will be consumed immediately afterward. The Chazon Ish (Orach Chaim 35:5), however, rules that since coffee is fundamentally a beverage, one should not recite a beracha on its aroma under any circumstances, and many follow his view.
Practically, someone drinking coffee and incidentally smelling it does not recite any beracha. If he intentionally smells the coffee, Sephardim would recite “borei atzei vesamim” or “borei isvei vesamim,” depending on the plant source, and Ashkenazim would say “borei minei vesamim.” Still, many follow the Chazon Ish and refrain from making a beracha altogether.
Rabbi Yosef Zvi Rimon is the Nasi of World Mizrachi. He is the Founder and Chairman of Sulamot and La’Ofek, and serves as the Chief Rabbi of Gush Etzion, and Rosh Yeshivah of the Jerusalem College of Technology.