It only took 27 years!

The FDA made it official last week:

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA or the Agency) is announcing the termination of the Board of Tea Experts by the Federal Tea Tasters Repeal Act of 1996… This rule is effective September 19, 2023…

The Board of Tea Experts was established on March 2, 1897, by the Tea Importation Act of 1897 (Pub. L. 54–358, section 2, March 2, 1897, 29 Stat. 604). The Board was responsible for making recommendations to the Secretary of the Treasury to fix and establish uniform standards of purity, quality, and fitness for consumption of all kinds of teas imported into the United States. The Board was terminated by the Federal Tea Tasters Repeal Act of 1996.