Insight
What happened to Chinese tea in Russia in 2025?
Volume fell. Chinese tea into Russia dropped 19.2% year-to-date in 2025, from 19.7 million kg to 15.9 million kg, according to an industry series. The category mix was 68% green tea, 14% black, 14% specialty — oolong and dark tea — and 4% jasmine.
In industry coverage, Russian urban demand has moved towards premium and single-origin tea, with matcha, oolong and pu-erh named repeatedly.
What are the EAEU technical regulations for tea?
Russia is part of the Eurasian Economic Union, so tea enters under EAEU technical regulations rather than Russian rules alone. TR CU 021/2011 governs food safety, including contaminant and pesticide limits. TR CU 022/2011 governs food labelling. Compliance is evidenced by a Declaration of Conformity and the product carries the EAC conformity mark.
The Declaration of Conformity, not the exporter's own test report, is the document that clears customs. It is registered by the importer or an authorised representative established in the Union, which makes the choice of importing partner a compliance decision rather than only a commercial one.
Rosselkhoznadzor oversees phytosanitary control on plant products entering Russia.
| Requirement | Instrument | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Food safety | TR CU 021/2011 | Contaminants and pesticide residues |
| Labelling | TR CU 022/2011 | Mandatory content, in Russian |
| Conformity evidence | Declaration of Conformity | Registered before customs clearance |
| Conformity marking | EAC mark | Applied to the product or packaging |
| Plant health | Phytosanitary certificate | Issued by the exporting country |
| Origin | Certificate of origin | Usually required to obtain preferential duty |
| Duty and tax | Confirm current rate for the shipment | Check HS line, origin, date and product-specific tax treatment |
What must a Russian tea label carry?
Labelling must be in Russian and must meet TR CU 022/2011 mandatory content. Packing tea into retail units of 3 kg or less also moves the shipment from HS 0902.20 or 0902.40 into 0902.10 or 0902.30, which changes the duty line. Artwork, shelf life and storage statements all have to be settled before the packing run, not after.
This is the single most common reason a private-label programme into Russia slips: artwork approved for one market is reused for the EAEU without the mandatory content list being re-checked.
Which Chinese categories fit the Russian market now?
The ones inside that 14% specialty share and the named-origin end of the 68% green share. Fujian supplies all of them: white tea from Fuding and Zhenghe, oolong from Pinghe, Anxi and Wuyishan, black tea from Tongmu and Fu'an, and jasmine green from Fuzhou. Fujian ships two thirds of China's oolong exports and ranks first in China for scented tea exports.
White tea is often named by Russian specialty buyers, and it is the category where grade is set in the field rather than in the factory.
Who does what when tea is imported into Russia?
The importer, or another applicant registered in the EAEU, registers the Declaration of Conformity under TR CU 021/2011 and 022/2011 and is named on the Russian label. The exporter supplies the tea to the specification with the invoice, packing list, transport document, origin evidence and the test data the declaration relies on. The importer's customs broker declares the goods; duty and import VAT are confirmed for the actual tariff line and date.