Kosher tea in glass teaware with pastries, fruit, flowers, and two lit candles on a white table.

Interesting Facts About Kosher Tea You Need to Know

What is kosher, and how does it relate to tea? Can you have kosher afternoon tea?

Kosher is a word that’s tossed around much like gluten-free, vegan, and organic. It’s a word that some people might subconsciously see on food labels. You might use kosher to describe something genuine, approved, or acceptable. 

Yes, it’s kosher to use kosher in such a nonchalant manner. But kosher is anything but nonchalant — and it’s practiced by millions of people around the world. 

If you aren’t kosher yourself, chances are you know someone who is. And if you ever break bread together, you will want to know how to host them properly. Catering to your guests’ dietary needs is especially important when it comes to sharing afternoon tea. 

You want to honor their dietary needs. You want your friends and family to feel loved and comfortable. And to serve a kosher meal, you will have to understand what kosher really is.

What Does Kosher Mean?

Jewish people smiling and gathering around a table with food and music. 

Not many people outside of Jewish tradition really understand what it means to be kosher. In the most basic sense, kosher is about food safety and health. It can also be about honor and religious tradition — it’s a clean way of eating, and there are many rules to follow. 

Kosher food is divided into three sections: pareve, meat, and dairy. People who eat kosher do not eat meat and dairy at the same time.

Meat or dairy can be eaten alongside pareve foods — or neutral foods — which include fish, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, and any other food that isn’t dairy or meat. You want to familiarize yourself with acceptable and unacceptable kosher foods.

Once you've learned what kosher is, it’s a good idea to reach out to your guests. Ask what their dietary practices are so you can build a menu around their needs. Some people are a little more flexible with their diet, and others are not. Regardless, you want your kosher afternoon tea menu to be courteous so they can focus on having a good time.

What Makes a Tea Kosher?

Afternoon kosher tea display with a teapot, pastries, and kosher sweets.

You might be surprised to know that kosher is also a process by which foods are made. Kosher foods can become non-kosher if they are handled inappropriately. Kosher foods go through a cleaner and more careful process than other foods — and kosher tea is no exception.

In order for a tea or food to be considered kosher, it needs to be processed on equipment that only handles kosher food. Plates, utensils, containers, and machines can’t touch kosher dairy or meat products, either.

Any pareve food that is prepared using contaminated cutlery or equipment isn’t pareve anymore. And if the machinery was used for kosher meat, that pareve food now becomes meat. The same is true when mixing dairy and pareve foods. As soon as you mix pareve and dairy, the pareve food is now dairy.

The facility in which teas are handled must follow strict kosher standards. If kosher teas are processed using tea equipment that was used by non-kosher teas, the tea is not considered kosher anymore. It’s also especially important that non-kosher contaminants like bugs or insects don’t ruin the tea — because bugs and insects are not kosher. 

Kosher tea is available in all types, including green, white, black, oolong, and herbal tea blends. The main difference is in the way that these teas are processed. If you’re hosting a kosher afternoon tea, be sure to seek out teas that are officially certified kosher. 

7 Tips for Hosting Your Kosher Afternoon Tea

Kosher tea pastries and sweets on a wooden table with white floral teaware.

Afternoon tea is traditionally filled with scones, creams, jams, meats, cheeses, milk, and a plethora of desserts and finger sandwiches. Many of these foods cannot be eaten together — or at all — if you are kosher. The good news is that you can absolutely enjoy the decadence of afternoon tea — and it can be completely kosher. 

1. Meat or Dairy? You Decide!

Kosher cheese and bread slices on a wooden board.

To start, you will want to decide if you will be eating dairy and pareve or meat and pareve. Because dairy and meat cannot be eaten together, you will have to pick recipes that use one or the other. Once you have decided, you can start crafting your kosher afternoon tea menu.

2. Making Delicious Kosher Scones

A close-up of kosher fruit scones for an afternoon tea.

If you are using dairy, finding a scone recipe that uses butter and kosher-approved ingredients will be easy. If you are not using dairy for your tea, seek out vegan scone recipes that use plant-based butter and milk. You can also forego traditional scones and serve kosher bread instead.

3. Tiny Finger Sandwiches

A woman holding a tray of braided challah kosher bread.

Everyone loves tiny finger sandwiches, and kosher finger sandwiches start with kosher bread. Make your own or buy a few different loaves from the market so you have some variety. Use kosher meats and plant-based dairy substitutes if you are skipping the dairy.

If you are skipping the meat, use cream, cheese, fruit, vegetables, eggs, and fish. Just make sure the cheeses you use don’t have rennet. If the cheese has this animal enzyme, it’s not kosher.

4. Sweets and Desserts

Kosher sweets and scones on a white two-tiered tea stand display.

If you are eating dairy, you will have a wide range of kosher desserts to choose from for your afternoon tea. If you are not eating dairy, consider making desserts that highlight fruit — such as a chocolate and raspberry dairy-free cake, or chocolate-covered strawberries. If you’re using chocolate, just double-check the ingredients to make sure dairy isn’t added. You can even make dairy-free cookies and muffins.

5. Cream or Jam — or Both?

Cream and blueberry preserves on slices of kosher bread sitting on a wooden board.

Are you going to serve scones? If you’re serving dairy, keep it kosher and avoid jams that have gelatin in them, because this comes from animals. On the other hand, pectin comes from fruit, and this is suitable for a dairy and pareve kosher meal.

But if you are serving a dairy-free kosher tea, skip the cream altogether — or find a plant-based cream substitute. Dairy-free scones are absolutely delicious when they’re topped with fruit preserves.

6. Consider Your Plates and Preparation

A stack of white and wooden plates sitting on a wooden table.

Meat and dairy must never be mixed. This means that plates that had dairy or meat on them at any point in time can’t be used for the other. These must be kept completely separate at all times. 

Dairy items can never be washed or prepared in the same places as meat items. Consider using fancy disposable plates. You can even purchase a teaware set that’s reserved for only kosher tea time. 

7. Read Labels and Explore

Kosher hummus with kosher bread.

The best thing you can do is go to the market and start exploring! Familiarize yourself with kosher labels and food. Plan your kosher afternoon tea menu well ahead of time. Experiment with flavors and recipes so your kosher friends and family feel welcomed and loved when you decide to host this special occasion.

Afternoon tea is a rare treat for everyone — and it’s even rarer when it’s a decadent kosher afternoon tea! 

Where to Find Kosher Teas and Teaware

A beautiful glass tea display on a white table with kosher pastries.

You will find what you need for your kosher afternoon tea at Teabloom. Their loose-leaf kosher teas are also organic, and they come in a wide range of flavors and types for you to choose from. 

Teabloom’s exquisite teaware is perfect for your kosher afternoon tea event. Their handcrafted borosilicate glass teaware is among the healthiest and most environmentally friendly in the tea industry. 

Explore tea sets, pyramid sachets, and learn more about tea facts and tips at Teabloom today.

www.Teabloom.com