Is coffee OK with US Customs?
 

My husband and I will be visiting several countries on a cruise including Turkey, Greece, Italy and Egypt. We are coffee freaks and want to bring back both coffee beans and ground coffee. Will it be confiscated due to the strict rules about food products?

Hi tx,

Roasted coffee beans are permitted. They don't mention ground roasted coffee.

See http://www.usembassy.org.uk/ukcust1.html

Beans are permitted, but overzealous customs agents might pull you aside for further questioning if they get a whiff. I brought back several bags from Algerian Coffees in London and the customs people at Detroit Metro actually took a bean out to test it!

Hi Tex...if anything Customs Agents might be a little suspicious as drug smugglers often use coffee beans as a deflector when smuggling cocaine etc.
Contact your local Customs office.

Thanks Ira, Marty and Katherine. I'll check with our local customs people here in Houston and will let you know what they say.

I would like to think that ground and whole bean coffee are okay as that was what Business Class passsengers were provided (as a gift!) on a return flight on KLM that had originated in Kenya. Some received ground, others whole beans, but that was before 9/11.

Suggest you contact Customs directly for current information.

Hi Tx,

Check with the Customs office at the airport at which you will arrive in the US. That's when you go through Customs.

PS,

Why are you bringing back ground coffee? Beans keep longer.

You can always take your beans to the local supermarket and grind them there. (You might have to give the manager a cuppa.)

We bought two bags of expresso (ground) in a small coffee shop in Naples. They were vacuum packed and sealed and we had no trouble bringing them back with us. Unlike my wonderful Tuscan salami, which was confiscated on the spot.

Real bummer, dln.

I hear that they have dogs, specially trained to sniff out salumi.

Thanks, Ira. I was disappointed!!! I bought it at the airport and my husband warned me that it wasn't permissible, and I blew him off, saying that of course it was, why would they sell it in duty-free if it wasn't? The good man has been married to me long enough to know what battles to choose, and he backed off, knowing how mule-headed I can be. And he didn't even snicker "I told you so" later.

So for all of you reading, just because you see it in duty-free and you have extra euros to spend before boarding, it DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN that your item of choice won't be taken from you by Customs.

"...just because you see it in duty-free and you have extra euros to spend before boarding, it DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN that your item of choice won't be taken from you by Customs."

Honestly, I've never doubted that. Many Americans seem to forget that there are flights departing for many other countries too -- it's up to the passenger to know the rules of their arrival country.

Hi dln,

I'm sure that DH knew, but didn't want to say, that you were supposed to eat the salami that you bought at the duty free shop on the flight home.

I agree that the duty-free/customs rules can be very confusing!
I have travelled from the UK to several non EU country (Cyprus last time)and in Manchester Airport we are sold and informed it is perfectly OK to transport a duty-free pack of 1,000 cigarettes.
Upon arriving at Customs at Paphos Airport, as I was blatently bringing the cigarettes through in a clear duty free bag, I got hauled to one side and told we were only allowed 200 each the same as EU Countries.
Luckily we were allowed to keep them as it was clear we weren't trying to hide anything and it was perfectly innocent.

There was also no limit on the amount of alcohol bought departing Warsaw Airport (you just need to keep your hand luggage empty enough!)
Saves a fortune on all the drinks for the house at Christmas :)

angel_UK wrote

>There was also no limit on the amount of alcohol bought departing Warsaw Airport...<

I write this only to warn novices.

No one cares what, or how much, you take out. It's when you try to bring it in that they make a federal case out of it.

That was the point I was trying to make! I wasn't trying to encourage anything illegal.
Duty-frees at airports will not make it clear to you that something may be perfectly OK in one country but not in your arrival/departure destination.
They are just happy to make the most profit they can.

ooh I think I may sound as if I am a serial smuggler :O.

Honest I only brought one extra bottle ;0

Dear Ms angel_UK,

As a major law firm in the United States, we are prepared to defend you against all charges that might be brought Attorney General Ashcroft.

You will find, I am sure, that our fees are quite reasonable.

Upon deposit of a retainer of $20,000 in our Swiss bank, you need worry no more about being prosecuted.

H. Lewis Dewey
Dewey, Cheatham & Howe, PLA

Well I'm off to Prague next monday (8th Dec) for 5 nights so you may as well leave your defense till I get home! (yippee more NON EU confusion to get away with!)

We are planning another trip to New York before Christmas next year and will place the appropriate $20,000 bribe in the Swiss Bank of your choice, but confess to doubts about a law firm called Cheat'em and how......

At Glasgow duty free I marveled at people buying non frozen haggis for travel. If the customs people do not get you, animal guts not refridgerated for 22 hours will.

Not to mention the aroma.