An update regarding how recent changes to US tariffs may affect your tea orders—particularly those involving Chinese teas.
Key Points:
- Tea Club: Chinese teas will no longer be included in our Tea Club subscription for US customers.
- Regular Orders: You may continue to order Chinese teas, but please be aware that you will be responsible for any customs duties or charges that may apply.
We appreciate your patience as we’ve worked to understand the implications of these rapidly evolving trade regulations. We are a small business, and our expertise lies in tea, not international trade law, but we’ve consulted with specialists and carefully considered the best way forward.
Why This Matters
As you will have heard, the US has introduced new tariffs on imported goods, with the highest rates applying to products of Chinese origin. Since China remains one of the world’s most important tea-producing regions, these changes could significantly affect our US customers.
Two key factors influence how tariffs are applied:
- The country of origin of the goods, and
- The country from which the goods are shipped.
At the time of writing (8am on April 29, 2025), teas of Chinese origin are subject to a minimum import duty of 134% when entering the US. However, there is currently a de minimis agreement between the US and the UK which allows packages with a value under $800 to be imported duty-free. This means Chinese teas shipped from the UK in orders under $800 are currently not subject to tariffs.
However, this de minimis exemption no longer applies to packages shipped directly from China or Hong Kong. Hence, our trade expert has warned that this exemption could be revoked for all goods containing Chinese-origin products, regardless of where they are shipped from. This would close a potential loophole and could be enforced without notice—even affecting shipments already in transit.
What We're Doing
To avoid the risk of unexpected customs charges, we have made the decision to remove Chinese teas from the Tea Club for US customers.
That said, we know many of you value Chinese teas, and we remain committed to offering them. If you place a regular order that includes Chinese teas, we will continue to ship them to you—but you will be responsible for any duties or import charges that may apply.
Looking Ahead
The current pause on reciprocal tariffs with countries other than China is due to expire around July 1st. Depending on future developments, we may also need to review how we handle teas from other origins such as India, Vietnam, and beyond.
We will continue to monitor the situation closely and keep you informed of any further changes.
If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch. And hopefully we can resume normal tea service soon!
- Valerie