Whjy does the US import tea from the UK, why not straight from Asia?

Question

it seems illogical to import it from a country that imports it rather than from the direct source

Answer 1

The reason is that Asian countries don't drink the same kind of tea that we drink in the western world. Asians drink almost exclusively green, oolong and white tea.

The British were the first to make black tea, which is what we usually drink in the US and Europe. The production is mainly in the hands of British importers, and their logistics systems are pretty well established.

In short, it's much easier (and cheaper) to import from an experienced British producer than from an Asian manufacturer that's not used to make black tea or shipping it.

As an aside, black tea was developed specifically to last longer than green tea, which would usually not survive the long voyage from Asia in the age of sailing ships. That's why we drink black tea, not green tea.

Answer 2

If you mean name brands like Twinings, some of those British brands are very prestigious to Americans.  Many Americans value anything British.