Travel to the US with tea
Hi to everyone!
This summer I’ll travel to Belize, and I think that it would be amazing to brew tea in the middle of the nature, so my plan is to bring with me some loose leaf tea and tea ware.
The plane stops in US where we have to take another plane to Belize. It will be any problem with lose leaf tea? Which is the best tea ware to carry in hand luggage?
Thank you for your help!
If you are just changing planes you probably don’t even go through US customs. You might check the airport you are transferring at to make sure this is the case.
We will spend about 6 hours in the US. I’ve made a little research on the internet and i think that there is no problem with lose leaf tea. my biggest concern is about gaiwans or glass vessels in the hand luggage.
If you’re stopping in Houston like I did when I went to Belize then yes, you will go through US customs. I got in big trouble there because I had forgotten that my pocketknife was still in my backpack. So save yourself the pain (they’ll confiscate stuff that isn’t allowed and you won’t get it back) and make sure you know ahead of time what’s allowed where.
Belize is beautiful. It is also where my fear of little dogs comes from because I was attacked by three at once.
When you go out to eat you’ll love the freshness and the low prices. I suggest using bottled water to brew with while you’re there
The rules of US Customs are a little strange when it comes to tea from what I recall reading. I think “Packaged Teas” are allowed through customs or some odd definition like that. I don’t know if loose leaf teas meet the requirements of US Customs but you can check for the definition on their web page. I think anything that is considered an agricultural product is not allowed but that packaged tea doesn’t meet that definition. I doubt customs will take your tea but they have some odd rules. I’d check the US Customs web page for just what is allowed.I personally have been wondering if Puerh Tea Cakes are allowed through customs when you fly. They are allowed through customs when you are going through the mail so logic suggests they should be allowed through when you fly. But the problem is US Customs isn’t logical.
Thank you for all the comments! I’ll check the Customs website for more info. I think I won’t take super high quality tea, so if it’s confiscate it won’t be the end of the world.
It occurs to me you might ask the people who run Crimson Lotus Tea. I remember an Instagram post where their relatives had traveled to the US with a lot of tea. They travel back and forth from the US and China every year and I’m pretty sure they travel with tea.
A web search found this.
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/335/~/importing-coffee%2C-tea-or-spices-for-personal-use
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