The mission of Capital Teas is to educate people and inspire lives through the wonders of tea, one cup at a time.

Capital Teas is a fifth generation, family-owned specialty tea merchant. We offer more than 175 varieties of the highest quality loose-leaf teas and herbal infusions from the world’s finest growing countries and regions, including Sri Lanka, India, China, Japan, Malawi, and Kenya. Our tea-ware products include traditional and modern teapots, brewers and infusers, and many other specialty items. We also offer artisanal honey, jams, tea-infused chocolate, and other gourmet packaged foods that accompany our teas.

Capital Teas was founded by Peter and Manelle Martino in 2007 and is an extension of Manelle’s family tradition in the tea trade that began with her great-great-grandfather, Francis Van Reyk in the 1890s. Van Reyk was a Dutch tea planter who emigrated to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and managed the well-known Diyagama Estate. Celebrating ours 120-year tea heritage, Capital Teas proudly offers “Great-Grandfather’s Tea”, which we source from the very tea estate managed by Francis Van Reyk. We also honor our founding in Annapolis on our logo by depicting the Maryland State Capitol, our nation’s oldest Capitol building in continuous use, and which is only a stone’s throw from our first store.

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