U.S. tea imports declined 7.1% year-over-year through May 2026, reaching 45,835.8 MT. Black tea remained dominant at 83.9% of total imports, while black, green, and organic tea volumes recorded declines. Despite overall pressure, selected origins such as Malawi, Japan, and re-export channels showed growth.

Argentina remained the leading supplier with 17,245.9 MT (44.8% share) despite a 7.3% decline. Malawi recorded a strong growth of 173.2%, while India and Vietnam declined. Indonesia, Zimbabwe, and the UK showed positive growth.

China remained the leading green tea supplier with a 35.5% share despite an 8.1% decline. Japan showed strong growth of 22.4%, while Sri Lanka also increased exports by 11.9%. Taiwan declined, and Vietnam remained stable.

U.S. organic tea imports declined 18.4% to 1,435.3 MT. Organic black tea dropped sharply, with India down -81.3% to 28.4 MT after leading in 2025. Canada remained the largest organic black tea origin, up +59.9% to 43.5 MT (33.7% share). Organic green tea also declined, though China (+22.3%) and Japan (+42.4%) recorded strong growth, accounting for 83.6% of organic green tea volume.

Source Tea Association of the U.S.A. (Extracts), Courtesy Sri Lanka Tea Board