METRIC 

A-A-20033C

August 1, 2001

SUPERSEDING

A-A-20033B

September 27, 1995

COMMERCIAL ITEM DESCRIPTION

TEA, BLACK (BAGS OR LOOSE)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has

authorized the use of this Commercial Item Description.

1. SCOPE. This Commercial Item Description (CID) covers black tea (bags or loose), packed in 

commercially acceptable containers, suitable for use by Federal, State, local governments, and other 

interested parties; and as a component of operational rations.

2. PURCHASER NOTES.

2.1 Purchasers shall specify the following:

- Type(s) of black tea required (Sec. 3).

- When a bid sample is not required (5.2.4).

 - When analytical requirements are different than specified (Sec. 6.1).

 - When analytical requirements need to be verified (Sec. 6.2).

 - Manufacturer’s/distributor’s certification (Sec. 9.2) or USDA certification (Sec. 9.3).

2.2 Purchasers may specify the following:

 - Manufacturer’s quality assurance (Sec. 9.1 with 9.1.1) or (Sec. 9.1 with 9.1.2).

 - Packaging requirements other than commercial (Sec. 10).

3. CLASSIFICATION. The black tea shall conform to the following types as specified in the 

solicitation, contract, or purchase order.

 Types.

 Type I - Bags

 Type II - Loose

AMSC N/A FSC 8955
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A-A-20033C

4. MANUFACTURER’S/DISTRIBUTOR’S NOTES. Manufacturer’s/distributor’s products 

shall meet the requirements of the:

 - Salient characteristics (Sec. 5).

 - Analytical requirements: as specified by the purchaser (Sec. 6).

 - Manufacturer’s/distributor’s product assurance (Sec. 7).

 - Regulatory requirements (Sec. 8).

 - Quality assurance provisions: as specified by the purchaser (Sec. 9).

 - Packaging requirements other than commercial: as specified by the purchaser (Sec. 10).

5. SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS.

5.1 Dry leaf tea.

5.1.1 Processing. The black tea shall be prepared in accordance with good manufacturing practices 

(21 CFR Part 110).

5.1.2 Leaf color. The black tea shall be fully fermented, dry, uniform in color, clean, and sound.

5.1.3 Leaf size. The leaf size for bag tea and loose black tea shall be pekoe (relatively small leaves), 

orange pekoe, broken pekoe, broken orange pekoe, broken tea, or a blend of these, but fannings or 

dust shall be excluded.

5.1.4 Appearance. The black tea shall have a good appearance (including twist).

5.1.5 Aroma. The aroma from dry tea shall be sweet, fresh, and free from obnoxious or foreign 

odors.

5.1.6 Defects. The dry tea shall be practically free from sticks, stems, and stalks.

5.1.7 Foreign material. The finished product shall be clean, sound, wholesome, and free from 

evidence of rodent or insect infestation.

5.2 Prepared tea.

5.2.1 Infused leaf color and odor. The infused leaf shall be bright, uniform in color, and possess a 

sweet, fresh odor.
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5.2.2 Prepared tea color. The prepared tea beverage shall have a color typical of that produced by 

black tea.

5.2.3 Flavor. Black tea from recognized tea producing countries, either singularly or blended, shall 

produce a tea of pleasing flavor. There shall be no foreign flavors such as, but not limited to; smokey, 

musty, sour, stale, or other objectionable flavors.

5.2.4 Bid sample. Unless otherwise specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order, a bid 

sample shall be submitted and evaluated for conformance to 5.2.2 and 5.2.3.

6. ANALYTICAL REQUIREMENTS.

6.1 Analytical requirements. Unless otherwise specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase 

order, the analytical requirements for the black tea shall be as follows:

6.1.1 Extraneous material. Extraneous material of the black tea shall not exceed 1.0 percent by 

weight.

6.2 Product verification. When USDA verification of analytical requirements is specified in the 

solicitation, contract, or purchase order, the following procedures will be followed:

6.2.1 Sampling procedures. USDA inspection service will select the number of product containers 

based on USDA inspection service sampling procedures and plans.

6.2.2 Composite sample. Analytical testing shall be performed on a composite sample. The 

composite sample shall be 454 grams (1 pound) and prepared from subsamples drawn from randomly 

selected containers. The number of subsamples used to create the composite shall be based on USDA 

procedures.

6.3 Analytical testing. When specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order, the analyses 

shall be made in accordance with the following method from the Official Methods of Analysis of the 

AOAC International:

Test Method

Heavy filth in tea 975.48

6.4 Test result. The test result shall be reported to the nearest 0.1 percent. Any result not 

conforming to the analytical requirement shall be cause for rejection of the lot.
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7. MANUFACTURER’S/DISTRIBUTOR’S PRODUCT ASSURANCE. The manufacturer/ 

distributor shall certify that the black tea provided shall meet the salient characteristics of this CID, 

conform to their own specifications, standards, and quality assurance practices, and be the same black 

tea offered for sale in the commercial market. The purchaser reserves the right to require proof of 

conformance.

8. REGULATORY REQUIREMENTS. The delivered black tea shall comply with all applicable 

Federal, State, and local mandatory requirements and regulations relating to the preparation, packaging, 

labeling, storage, distribution, and sale of black tea within the commercial marketplace. Delivered black 

tea shall comply with all applicable provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and 

regulations promulgated thereunder.

9. QUALITY ASSURANCE PROVISIONS. Purchaser shall specify 9.2 or 9.3; purchaser may 

specify 9.1 with 9.1.1 or 9.1 with 9.1.2.

9.1 Manufacturer’s quality assurance. When required in the solicitation, contract, or purchase 

order, the product manufacturer shall be required to provide evidence, by certificate, that the 

manufacturing plant has undertaken one of the following quality assurance measures within 12 months 

prior to providing a bid, or no later than 10 business days from the date of awarding of the contract. 

Failure to provide this documentation within the proper time frame may result in the contract being 

terminated for cause.

9.1.1 Plant systems audit. A plant systems audit (PSA) conducted by USDA, Agricultural 

Marketing Service (AMS), or another audit performed by a third party auditing service is required 

within 12 months prior to the date of the awarding of the contract. (An AMS PSA verifies the 

manufacturer's capability to produce products in a clean, sanitary environment in accordance 

with Title 21 Code of Federal Regulations Part 110 - Current Good Manufacturing Practice in 

Manufacturing, Packing, or Holding Human Food, and verifies that the manufacturer has in 

place an internal quality assurance program. The AMS PSA determines the manufacturer's 

ability to produce under this CID, if the products of interest are identified at the time of the 

PSA.)

9.1.2 Plant survey. A plant survey conducted by USDA, AMS, or another survey performed by a 

third party auditing service is required within 12 months prior to the date of the awarding of the contract. 

(An AMS plant survey audit verifies that, at the time of the survey, the manufacturer produces 

products in a clean, sanitary environment in accordance with Title 21 Code of Federal 

Regulations Part 110 - Current Good Manufacturing Practice in Manufacturing, Packing, or 

Holding Human Food.)
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9.2 Manufacturer’s/distributor’s certification. When required in the solicitation, contract, or 

purchase order, the manufacturer/distributor will certify that the finished black tea distributed meets or 

exceeds the requirements of this CID.

9.3 USDA certification. When required in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order that product 

quality and acceptability or both be determined, the Processed Products Branch (PPB), Fruit and 

Vegetable Programs (FVP), AMS, USDA, shall be the certifying program. PPB inspectors shall certify 

the quality and acceptability of the black tea in accordance with PPB procedures which include selecting 

random samples of the packaged black tea, evaluating the samples for conformance with the salient 

characteristics of this CID and other contractual requirements, and documenting the findings on official 

PPB score sheets and/or certificates. In addition, when required in the solicitation, contract, or 

purchase order, PPB inspectors will examine the black tea for conformance to the United States 

Standards for Condition of Food Containers in effect on the date of the solicitation.

10. PACKAGING. Preservation, packaging, packing, labeling, and case marking shall be commercial 

unless otherwise specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order.

11. USDA INSPECTION NOTES. When Section 9.3 is specified in the solicitation, contract, 

or purchase order, USDA certification shall include evaluation of the quality and condition of 

samples of packaged black tea, and compliance with requirements in the following areas:

 - Salient characteristics (Sec. 5).

 - Analytical requirements when specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase order

(Sec. 6.1). When USDA analytical testing is specified, PPB inspection personnel shall

select samples and submit them to the USDA, Science and Technology Programs (S&TP)

laboratory for analysis.

 - Packaging requirements (Sec. 10 or as specified in the solicitation, contract, or purchase

order).

12. REFERENCE NOTES.

12.1 USDA certification contact. For USDA certification, contact the Branch Chief, PPB, FVP, 

AMS, USDA, STOP 0247, 1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-0247, 

telephone (202) 720-4693, Fax (202) 690-1527, or via E-mail:

james.rodeheaver@usda.gov.
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12.2 Analytical testing and technical information. For USDA technical information on analytical 

testing, contact the Branch Chief, Technical Service Branch, S&TP, AMS, USDA, STOP 0272, 

1400 Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-0272, telephone (202) 690-0621, or 

via E-mail: anita.okrend@usda.gov.

12.3 Sources of documents.

12.3.1 Source of information for nongovernmental document is as follows:

Copies of the Official Methods of Analysis of the AOAC International may be obtained from: AOAC 

International, 481 North Frederick Avenue, Suite 500, Gaithersburg, MD 20877, telephone 

(301) 924-7077. Internet address: http://www.aoac.org.

12.3.2 Sources of information for governmental documents are as follows:

Applicable provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act are contained in 21 CFR Parts 1 

to 199. This document may be purchased from: Superintendent of Documents, 

ATTN: New Orders, P.O. Box 371954, Pittsburgh, PA 15250-7954. Credit card

(MasterCard or Visa) purchases may be made by calling the Superintendent of Documents 

(202) 512-1803 or on the Internet at: http://www.nara.gov/fedreg.

Copies of this CID and the United States Standards for Condition of Food Containers are available 

from: Head, Food Quality Assurance Staff, FVP, AMS, USDA, STOP 0243,

1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-0243, telephone (202) 720-9939,

Fax (202) 690-0102, via E-mail: FQAStaff@usda.gov or on the Internet at: 

http://www.ams.usda.gov/fv/fvqual.htm.

Beneficial comments, recommendations, additions, deletions, clarifications, etc., and any data which 

may improve this document should be sent to: Commander, Defense Supply Center Philadelphia, 

ATTN: DSCP-HSL, 700 Robbins Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19111-5092 or FAX (215) 737-

2963, or via E-mail: sagallagher@dscp.dla.mil.

Military activities should submit requests for copies of this CID to: Standardization Documents 

Order Desk, Document Automation And Production Service, 700 Robbins Avenue, Building 

4D, Philadelphia, PA 19111-5094.
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MILITARY INTERESTS: CIVIL AGENCY COORDINATING ACTIVITIES:

Custodians DOJ - BOP

HHS - NIH, IHS

 Army - GL USDA - FV

 Navy - SA VA - OSS

 Air Force - 35

PREPARING ACTIVITY:

Review Activities

DLA - SS

 Army - MD, QM

 Navy - MC (Project No. 8955-P077)

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, 

national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, or marital or family status. (Not all prohibited 

bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information 

(Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and 

Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD). USDA is an equal 

opportunity provider and employer.