Originally Posted by
Points Scrounger
Yes, LAX, thanks. As someone who reads these forums avidly, I was prepared to declare my dangerous tea bags if the catchall term "food" were there, but did not see it after reading the question carefully on the lookout for it; it is possible that I missed it.
BTW...in the link provided by TWA884, tea is listed as something that does have to be declared.
I was not aware - perhaps you were - that there are specific types of tea that are not allowed. I knew about coca tea, but I had not heard of barberry tea or loose citrus leaf tea. I also didn't realize that the loose hibiscus tea I brought back from Egypt (pre-GE) might not have been allowed, because I don't think an ordinary plain paper bag full of leaves meets CBP's criteria: 'commercially packaged'..
Then again, I was astonished to find out that many instant noodle (the seasoning packets) are prohibited. I wonder if the default for packets not labelled in English is to confiscate them.