Capital Teas Chai Masala Tea

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 the vision of Peter and Manelle Martino, who together formed the company in Annapolis in 2007. Manelle Martino has been described as a “renaissance woman” who strives to spread her passion for tea. You might say that tea runs in her blood – Manelle is the fifth consecutive generation of her family involved in the tea trade. Her great-great-grandfather, Francis Van Reyk, emigrated to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in the 1870s to be at the forefront of that country’s tea industry and every successive generation of her family since has been engaged in the tea trade. She serves as the company’s Board Chairman. Peter Martino is a successful serial entrepreneur, a former nuclear submarine officer, and an attorney who has a dual passion for both tea and for building companies into leading brands; he leads Capital Teas as our CEO. The first Capital Teas store opened on September 8, 2007 in Annapolis in a centuries old, charming building. Maintaining a connection to family tradition, the Martinos imported tea from the same estate that Manelle’s great-great-grandfather planted – and they still do so today, from among many other places. Each Capital Teas boutique, from that very first store to today’s much larger tea bars & boutiques, has been designed to provide customers a multi-sensory experience, where exploration is encouraged and curiosity is rewarded. We invite customers to discover the magic, complexity, and sense of well-being derived from tea. We always feature free samples and maintain a prominent sniffing wall in each store for customers to Stop and smell the teas. Capital Teas imports, blends, and crafts more than 200 varieties of tea, with ingredients from 20 countries, so that selections in its stores are always kept seasonal, exciting, and enjoyable. And through its website, the company ships to followers in all 50 states and internationally.