Q. Can I make Kiddush or Havdalah on a cup of coffee or tea?
A. Shulchan Aruch (OC 182:2; 272:9; 289:2; 296:2) writes that if there is no wine available, one may recite Birchas Hamazon, Kiddush (see last paragraph for further clarification about kiddush) or Havdalah on a beverage that is prevalent in that location. This is known as Chamar Medinah (the local wine).
Do tea or coffee qualify?
Rav Ovadia Yosef (Yebia Omer 3:19 and Yechaveh Daas 2:38) cites some Acharonim who maintain that a beverage is only considered Chamar Medinah if it is intoxicating. Based on this, Rav Ovadia Yosef rules that one should not recite Havdalah on tea or coffee. Only alcoholic beverages such as beer are acceptable. This was also the opinion of Rav Chaim Volozhener.
The Rogotchover suggests that even if it is necessary for chamar medina to be intoxicating, milk can be considered an intoxicating beverage based on the Gemara (Kerisos 13b)that a cohen may not perform the avodah in the Beis Hamikdash after drinking milk. (Presumably, milk is intoxicating in the sense that it causes drowsiness and affects a person’s mental state.) However, Rav Y.D. Soloveichik (Mi’peninei Harav p. 87) rejects the comparison between avodah and chamar medinah. Milk invalidates a cohen for avodah because it causes drowsiness, while chamar medinah is limited to actual intoxication.
On the other hand, the Aruch Hashulchan (OC 296:13), Igeros Moshe (OC 2:75) and Tzitz Eliezer (8:16) write that in the absence of wine, if one has no other choice, one may recite havdalah on coffee or tea. One may add milk to their tea or coffee, but it is not necessary. Igeros Moshe explains that these drinks are similar to wine because they are served to guests to demonstrate distinction or respect, and not only to quench one’s thirst.
The Shulchan Aruch (OC 279:9) writes that there are different opinions whether chamar medina may be used for Kiddush at night and during the day. The Mishnah Berurah (272:27) rules that Chamar Medinah may be used for Shabbos daytime kiddush, but should not be used for Friday night Kiddush, If wine is not available, Friday night Kiddush should be recited on challah.
The AhS considers tea with sugar to be chamar medinah -- but
only with sugar. Gives you a sense of the price of sugar in
Litta.
It's true that the AhS 296:13 does mention "teh matok - sweet tea", but you
might be reading too much into that. He doesn't specifically exclude
unsweetened tea. It might simply be that this was the common way of
drinking it.
In fact, he contrasts this with several other drinks (seltzer, lemonade, or
water with honey mixed in) which are merely "mayim metukanim - enhanced
water", and he specifically says that what makes "teh matok" different is
that (a) it was cooked, and (b) it is not *called* "water". My conclusion
is that the AhS doesn't seem to care whether the tea is sweet or not.
Well, in OC 89:23 he notes that some prohibit drinking tea with sugar
before davening -- but only wwith sugar. He is unsure why they would say
that, since the sugar is just to give the hot drink a little flavor. How
does that make sweatened tea "akhilah"? Others allow tea drunk through
a sugar cube, but not if the sugar is dissolved in the tea. (One of the
places where the AhS cites the MB.)
There, he does conclude "ve'eino iqar". I am just pointing out that
elsewhere in the AhS, tea and tea with sugar are different things. So,
I wouldn't just assume he added the word "matoq" here simply because
that's the norm.
(In fact, on a metzi'us level, I don't think sugar was cheap enough in
Litta for one to assume one was getting sugar with their tea. I would
want evidence it even was their norm. In siman 89, he gives the din for
tea but if the tea is with sugar.... As opposed to if the se'if saw a
need to call the first case "tea without sugar" or "unsweatened tea".)
Sugar was quite expensive there, while across the border in Galicia it was cheap. That's why Litvaks make their gefilte fish and luction kugel salty and Galicianers make them sweet.
The Baal Hatanya, who lived on his pay as the town maggid, first in Liozna and then in Liadi, once asked the town council for a raise, because after much thought he had come to the conclusion that sugar is a necessity and not a luxury (hechrochios and not mosros).
Shulchan Aruch (OC 182:2; 272:9; 289:2; 296:2) writes that if there is no wine available, one may recite Birchas Hamazon, Kiddush (see last paragraph for further clarification about kiddush) or Havdalah on a beverage that is prevalent in that location. This is known as Chamar Medinah (the local wine).
Do tea or coffee qualify?
Rav Ovadia Yosef (Yebia Omer 3:19 and Yechaveh Daas 2:38) cites some Acharonim who maintain that a beverage is only considered Chamar Medinah if it is intoxicating. Based on this, Rav Ovadia Yosef rules that one should not recite Havdalah on tea or coffee. Only alcoholic beverages such as beer are acceptable. This was also the opinion of Rav Chaim Volozhener.
The Rogotchover suggests that even if it is necessary for chamar medina to be intoxicating, milk can be considered an intoxicating beverage based on the Gemara (Kerisos 13b)that a cohen may not perform the avodah in the Beis Hamikdash after drinking milk. (Presumably, milk is intoxicating in the sense that it causes drowsiness and affects a person’s mental state.) However, Rav Y.D. Soloveichik (Mi’peninei Harav p. 87) rejects the comparison between avodah and chamar medinah. Milk invalidates a cohen for avodah because it causes drowsiness, while chamar medinah is limited to actual intoxication.
On the other hand, the Aruch Hashulchan (OC 296:13), Igeros Moshe (OC 2:75) and Tzitz Eliezer (8:16) write that in the absence of wine, if one has no other choice, one may recite havdalah on coffee or tea. One may add milk to their tea or coffee, but it is not necessary. Igeros Moshe explains that these drinks are similar to wine because they are served to guests to demonstrate distinction or respect, and not only to quench one’s thirst.
The Shulchan Aruch (OC 279:9) writes that there are different opinions whether chamar medina may be used for Kiddush at night and during the day. The Mishnah Berurah (272:27) rules that Chamar Medinah may be used for Shabbos daytime kiddush, but should not be used for Friday night Kiddush, If wine is not available, Friday night Kiddush should be recited on challah.
The AhS refers to "teih matoq", whereas in other places he does talk about
"teih" without the "matoq".
In 89:23 he allows drking tea before Shacharis, and notes that some
prohibited drinking it with sugar, but he didn't understand why. But
this is enough to make me wonder whether tea and sweet tea can be just
assumed to be the same thing. Even the AhS, who doesn't understand the
reason to make a distinction in OC 89, may feel that tea and sweet tea
were different in this context. After all, why here does it say "teih
matoq", if he uses "teih" alone everywhere else?
I raised this possibility here before, that the AhS only considers tea
with sugar chamar medinah. At least in his milieu. Other societies may
relate to both tea and to sugar differently.