Taiwan's Rules for Importing Pu'er: The Only Mainland Tea Allowed In

In Taiwan, you can buy pu'er from Yunnan at tea shops, department stores, and online. That seems perfectly natural, but behind it is a rather unusual rule: of all the tea produced in mainland China, pu'er is the only category that can be legally imported into Taiwan.

Can You Buy Mainland Pu'er in Taiwan?

Yes, and legally. Taiwan manages goods from mainland China by "announced permission to import": under the Regulations Governing Permission for Trade Between the Taiwan Area and the Mainland Area, only mainland goods that have been announced and listed as permitted can be imported. Pu'er is on the permitted list, while other mainland tea categories remain restricted.

So any mainland tea you see in Taiwan that came in through official channels should be pu'er; the packaging will carry Chinese-language labeling with the place of origin given as China or Yunnan, China.

When Were Imports Opened?

Pu'er was opened for import from mainland China in 2004. In a press release on November 2, 2011, the Council of Agriculture (now the Ministry of Agriculture) explained that pu'er had been open for import since 2004 while other teas were still not permitted, and published import volumes for several years:

In just two years, imports nearly doubled, which shows how quickly the number of pu'er drinkers in Taiwan grew in the late 2000s. For the history between Taiwan and pu'er, read Pu'er and Taiwan.

Why Only Pu'er?

The official press release explained "what's open and what isn't" without spelling out the reasons. The general understanding is that Taiwan's tea industry centers on oolong, black (red), and green teas, and importing those categories in large quantities from across the Strait would directly hurt domestic tea farmers. Pu'er's raw material is Yunnan large-leaf tea, and its processing is distinguished by sun-drying, compression, and pile fermentation; Taiwan has no comparable local product, so there's very little overlap once it's opened.

That's also why, after opening, the authorities' biggest concern was "people importing other teas under the name of pu'er." The 2011 press release noted that in May 2010 the Council of Agriculture asked Customs to strengthen inspection of pu'er-related tariff codes, and set up an identification panel to draw up identification standards for pu'er.

How Customs Determines Whether It's Pu'er

At import, goods must be declared under the customs tariff classification code, and pu'er has its own code. Take a 2019 judgment by the Kaohsiung High Administrative Court as an example: the codes cited in the judgment read, under 0902.40.10, "Pu'er tea, in packages exceeding 3 kg," with import regulation F01 (requiring an application for import inspection with the Taiwan FDA); while 0902.20.00, "Green tea (not fermented), in packages exceeding 3 kg," carries MW0 in addition to F01, meaning "mainland goods not permitted for import."

The point at issue in that case was that part of a shipment declared as loose pu'er was identified as "strip-shaped sun-dried green tea (pu'er raw material)." The judgment cited the "Pu'er Tea Identification Method" drawn up by the Council of Agriculture, which divides pu'er into three categories:

• Compressed raw pu'er: Sun-dried green tea refined, steamed and pressed into shape, dried, and aged through long-term storage.
• Loose ripe pu'er: Sun-dried green tea post-fermented through pile fermentation, dried, and refined.
• Compressed ripe pu'er: Loose ripe tea then steamed and pressed into shape.

Sun-dried maocha that has been neither pressed nor pile-fermented isn't in these three categories, so it's classified as green tea, a mainland product not permitted for import. For consumers, this explains a common observation: the mainland raw pu'er officially sold in Taiwan is almost always pressed into cakes, bricks, tuo, or dragon pearls, and you rarely see loose raw maocha. What maocha is, is covered in Sun-Dried Maocha.

What Inspections Are Required for Import?

Like other imported foods, pu'er must, under Article 30 of the Act Governing Food Safety and Sanitation, apply for inspection with the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA) under the Ministry of Health and Welfare according to its tariff code. The TFDA decides how a given shipment will be inspected under the Regulations of Inspection of Imported Foods and Related Products:

• Batch-by-batch inspection: Every shipment is checked and tested.
• Enhanced sampling inspection: A 20%–50% chance of being selected.
• General sampling inspection: A 2%–10% chance of being selected.

Selected shipments have their documents and labeling checked and samples taken for testing, commonly for pesticide residues. Only shipments that pass are released; those that fail must be returned or destroyed. Inspection details are in Border Inspection and Pesticide Residues.

After clearing customs, the packaging must also carry complete Chinese-language labeling before it can be sold in Taiwan; see Packaging Labels in Taiwan.

What to Look For When Buying

• Check the Chinese-language label: A complete label with product name, net weight, domestic responsible company, place of origin, and expiration date is the most direct sign of official import.
• Check the tea type and form: Raw tea is mostly compressed; ripe tea comes both loose and compressed.
• Check the place of origin: Pu'er's place of origin should be Yunnan, China; for the standard and the area of origin, read Pu'er's National Standard and Geographical Indication.

Guyuntang's Bingdao Old Village Dragon Pearls are raw pu'er pressed into pearls of 8 grams each; for specifications and labeling details, please confirm with our staff.

FAQ

Can I buy mainland Tieguanyin or Longjing in Taiwan? Pu'er is the only mainland tea category permitted for import; other mainland teas are not permitted under the rules, so mainland tea sold through official channels should only be pu'er.

What year did Taiwan open pu'er imports? 2004. The Council of Agriculture's 2011 press release also restated that pu'er had been open since 2004 while other teas remained restricted.

Can loose sun-dried raw tea be imported? Under the identification method used by Customs and the Council of Agriculture, sun-dried maocha that has been neither pressed nor pile-fermented is classified as green tea, a mainland product not permitted for import.

Is imported pu'er always tested? Every shipment must apply for import inspection, but not every shipment is sampled and tested; the TFDA decides, based on risk, whether to inspect batch by batch or sample at rates from 2% to 50%.