User:Levinep/Capital Teas

Capital Teas, LLC is an American specialty tea company, headquartered in Annapolis, MD, which primarily sells premium loose tea and tea-related products. The company was founded in 2007 by Peter and Manelle Martino and features over 120 types of loose tea.

The Capital Teas family tradition in the tea trade began in the 1890s with Manelle Martino’s great-great grandfather, Francis Van Reyk, who oversaw one of the first tea estates planted in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). Today, Capital Teas features a tea grown from that very tea estate in the Dimbula region of Sri Lanka called “Great-Grandfather’s Tea.” Additionally, many of the products offered by Capital Teas are sourced from Elmstock Tea  Company in Australia, which is owned and operated by the preceding generation of Manelle Martino’s family.

Capital Teas currently maintains three stores in Maryland -- in Annapolis, National Harbor (Oxon Hill), and Bethesda. In addition, the company sells all their products online on their official website. Two additional stores are planned soon for the District of Columbia -- in Georgetown in March 2011 and on DuPont Circle in Apirl 2011.

Capital Teas has coined the phrase “stop and smell the teas®” and encourages its customers to smell the selection of teas on the “sniffing wall” in each store.

The signature teas of the company are Annapolis Treasures, Sailor’s Delight, and Chesapeake Sunrise, which are all flavored blends of black and green tea. Other popular blends include Roasted Almond and Chai Masala.