catocony

I believe the limits are the same for everyone. Now, I once brought in two X-boxes in a large bag. No problems. I've brought notebooks, speakers, just about everything.

To give an example for the board, here in the US you can get one of those bottles of Victorias Secret lotions for about $6.00. In Brasil, that sells retail for 50 Reals. Now, 50 Reals is about $22. So, almost 4 times the price. But, a middle class person in Brasil is going to pull in maybe 2,000 Reals a month. More in Sao Paulo and some other spots, but R$2,000 is quite a bit of money. So, $R50 for a bottle of lotion is, comparatively, about US$50 here.

Generally speaking, every piece of decent electronics, tennis shoes, perfumes and cosmetics, they cost double - in dollar terms - in Brasil than here. And, you average brasilero earns way less, in dollar terms, than what Americans would consider to be the extreme low end of middle class in the US. Imagine spending half a day's pay on tube of lipstick, or a day's pay on a set of earbuds.

This isn't to bash Brasil, which is better shape than most other Latin American countries.

halls120

This. You will get pulled for secondary inspection if you put it in your checked baggage.

relangford

flaviocc, your English is much better than my Portugese. I have only been twice to Brazil, but enjoyed both visits. Just declare the coffee (the concern is more insect pests than value, although there is a limit, IIRC, about 500 grams or a little over a pound) and you should be OK. If you want to know real trouble with U.S. Customs, try coming back to the U.S. from Cali, Colombia with bottles of white powder (chemical samples from our company plant there); I thought I was not ever going to return to my home (after 4 - 5 hours, and, I assume, extensive testing of my test samples, I was let go). The CBP agents said I should have mailed them - I told the agents that would probably have been even worse. The company did move the plant from Cali to Cartagena, so it was a little better later.

UnitedFlyGuy

@OP - In any big US city, you can find any bean, any roast, etc. Seems like a hassle to bring your own.

YKF

I brought over a pound of Kopi luwak from Indonesia in my checked baggage and I was not scammed.

coachrowsey

And just think I,ve put in an order with a f/a friend for coffee from San Paulo next week

Boo_Radley

I'd say 500g shouldn't raise any suspicion, though it does need to be declared and may be checked. That said, part of travelling is trying local stuff, so I'd say even if you bring some coffee, try some of the local coffee from the places mentioned in this thread as well. Personally, I like Intelligentsia, which is sold in LA. Philz is also good in both LA and San Francisco.

As for US customs not being able to distinguish Brazil from areas where drug trafficking is prevalent, yeah these guys aren't that smart. That said, the ones at LAX might be a bit more knowledgeable about South America than most. Regardless, don't plan your vacation around US customs' questionable training.

flaviocc

@Boo_Radley

thank you for the places.

For sure, one the most important things when travel is trying local things.

All the places in our list !

Tks