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The high price of importing coffee to Germany…

A couple of years ago, when Bill and I first moved back to Germany, I blogged about Germany’s dreaded Kaffeesteuer (coffee tax).  Roasted coffee beans imported to Germany is subject to a tax, which is why we get those handy ration cards for use at the PX and commissary.

I’ll be honest.  When Bill and I lived in Germany the first time, we used to get coffee sent to us through the APO.  It’s illegal to get coffee that way, but everyone did it.  Besides, even though we had ration cards that included coffee, I don’t remember ever actually hearing about the rule against having coffee mailed through APO.  I honestly think I was ignorant during those years.  We had no Facebook groups back then.  In any case, we were never busted, even though the post office officials could easily smell the beans.

I’ve heard that people still get coffee through the APO, despite reports that customs was cracking down on coffee smuggling.  I decided not to risk ordering coffee through APO because I didn’t want to get in trouble.  For the past couple of years, Bill and I have been getting by on the coffee we’ve been able to find here in Germany.  I really don’t like a lot of the local stuff.  I’m not wild about Starbucks, either.  I drink it only because that’s what’s closest to what I like.  I happen to be a diehard Peet’s fan, despite other people’s efforts to convert me to other brands.

Interestingly enough, Peet’s used to supply Starbucks with coffee beans when Starbucks was in its infancy.  Now, Starbucks is way more popular than Peet’s is.  I remain partial to Peet’s coffee. In our two years here, I’ve really missed having it readily available.  When we were in the States, I would order it directly from the company and it would arrive freshly roasted and smelling heavenly.  I even had a subscription.

A couple of weeks ago, I finally decided I wanted my Peet’s, dammit!  They had a special reserve roasting from Kenya that I wanted to order.  Since I was going to the trouble of ordering coffee from the States and figured there would be a hassle in getting it, along with a hefty duty to pay, I decided to order six pounds.  I actually placed the order a few days before it was sent to me because the items I wanted were roasted after I ordered them.  Postage for this order was $40.  I got an $8 discount on shipping because I ordered more than $100 worth of product.

Today is August 19, 2016.  It took my parcel nine days to get to me from California to Germany.  The actual trip to Germany didn’t take that long.  My coffee left the USA on August 12th and landed in Frankfurt the next day.  From there, another six days passed as my coffee was sent down here to Stuttgart and processed through customs.  I’ve been watching the package’s progress for days, wondering what would happen when it finally got to me.

Would it come to my doorstep?  Would we have to pick it up in a customs office or at the post office?  I was also a little worried because we’re going out of town this weekend.  I wouldn’t have wanted to miss the delivery if it was actually brought to the door…  

 

A couple of years ago, I ordered a sweater that came to me through German mail.  I ended up having to pay about 20 euros to customs.  I wasn’t prepared when the courier came to my door, so I had to call DHL and arrange for another delivery.  It was kind of nervewracking.  This time, I was determined to be prepared.  I’ve had cash for the anticipated duties sitting in my kitchen all week, even though we had no idea how much they would be.

Bill originally thought it would cost about 9 euros.  I figured it would be a lot more than that.  Turns out, I was right.  The coffee arrived today.  I spotted the mail guy carrying a big box and figured it was for me.  Once again, I was right.  I opened the door and he pointed to the green tag on the box.  That was the price of the duty.  This coffee smells heavenly, but goodness, it wasn’t cheap to get it here…

On that slip of paper is how much I had to pay to take possession of my package…

 

I definitely think it’s time for a cup of coffee, though.  And now that I know the process, I’d do it again.  Good thing I don’t have any kids in college!

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Coffee talk…

An interesting question comes up from time to time for those of us who live in Germany courtesy of the American government.  Why aren’t we allowed to have coffee shipped to us via APO?

Well, lemme tell you, when Bill and I lived here from 2007-09, we didn’t know about the coffee rule and we used to have Peet’s coffee sent to us all the time.  I know it’s coffee you can get in the grocery store, but we’d have it mailed right after a roasting.  More than once, the post office people commented on the heavenly aroma.  Not once did they ever mention the ban on having coffee shipped.

In the five years since then, they’ve apparently gotten a lot stricter about coffee coming through APO.  I haven’t tried to order coffee from the States, but I have heard that people have lost their APO mail privileges for having coffee mailed to them.  I have also heard that some people do it anyway and haven’t had any problems.  Knowing how great Peet’s smells, I’m not going to risk it.  That still begs the question, though.  Why is it a problem for APO users to buy coffee through the mail?

First of all, the rules…

Host nation custom regulations prohibit the importation of medication, vitamins and nutritional supplements through the Military Postal Service, in unaccompanied baggage and household goods.

The rule also applies to alcoholic beverages, animals, plants, cheese and cheese products, cigarettes and other tobacco products, coffee and coffee products, meat and meat products, and milk and milk products.

All incoming and outgoing mail is subject to inspection by German customs officials, and violators may be subject to fines and penalties.

For more information, see Army Regulation 550-175, U.S. Forces Customs Controls in Germany, or call the Stuttgart Customs officer at 431-2731/civ. 07031-15-2731.

I imagine the ban on cheeses, milk, meat, and plants have to do with agricultural risks.  The medications, vitamins, booze and supplements rules have to do with legal risks.  I’m not going to expend the effort right now to find out for sure.  When it comes to coffee, though, it’s all about money.

There is a coffee tax in Germany.

It’s called the Kaffeesteuer.  When you buy coffee in a German store, the tax is included in the price.  When you buy it in the commissary, at AAFES or in the Class VI, you have to present a ration card so they can make sure you aren’t buying up a bunch of it and selling it to host country nationals.  If you have coffee sent to you, you avoid both the Kaffeesteur and the rationing and that’s a no no.

The link I provided above offers a simple explanation of the tax, which has been collected since Germany was Prussia.  I’m sure the coffee tax is useful, since it surely provides revenue.  For those of us Yanks who have a favorite type of coffee, the tax is kind of a pain in the butt.  I wouldn’t mind paying the tax if it meant I could have my Peet’s.

I know other people think Germany has an equivalent to Peet’s coffee (or any other brand Americans like), but I sure haven’t found it yet.  I hate to keep buying coffee that doesn’t cut it for me.  Starbucks, which used to buy Peet’s coffee in its earliest days, just doesn’t thrill me, though I could probably live with their Pike Place blend.  On the other hand, I am not a coffee fiend anyway.  My husband is the one who is passionate about his coffee.  With me, it’s more of a case of only liking what I like, not that I can’t live without a good cup of joe every day.

I did find an interesting Web site that sells raw coffee beans in Germany and other EU countries.  You buy the beans and roast them yourself.  Given that my husband enjoys this kind of a project, I may try ordering from Rohebohnen.de just to see if it’s worth the effort.  According to their site, it’s not too hard to roast your own beans and it’s even less expensive to do so, since you don’t have to pay the Kaffeesteuer for raw beans.  Keep in mind that if you do choose to home roast, you can only do so for your private use.  No buying the beans, coming up with a great flavor, and selling it to your American friends!  And you’ll need a grinder, of course.  We recently bought a good one from Amazon.de.

Click here for an explanation of the home coffee roasting process…  It looks pretty easy, actually.  Maybe I’ll do it just to give myself something new to do.  Will have to update once I pull the trigger.

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