Capital Teas Edit

A good selection of teas. This is a chain of local tea shops. The staff has different levels of tea knowledge at different locations. More expensive than their teas warrant. Good if you run out of tea and your online order hasn’t arrived yet.

Definitely knowledgeable staff. Friendly and helpful. A little pricey, maybe, but the whole area is pricey, so it may be in line with everything else.

This is a lovely little tea shop in Dupont Circle (just up from Kramer’s books). There are 6 or 7 locations in the DC area. Though I’ve only been to this one location so far, it left a good impression and I intend to visit some of the others. The young staff were definitely trained about the available teas and were friendly and helpful. The shop makes its own blends and proclaims it is run by 5th generation tea merchants. Teas were on display in clear jars so you could admire and smell, but then if you requested one, they scooped from separate dark and airtight containers behind the counter… Very impressive. They had two teas made for sampling: one a seasonal pumpkin spice that I wound up buying! The shop is rather small but they had a few other unique items, like tea oil for cooking and other tea infused ideas. They also have a tea exchange: bring in some old tea from your cupboards and they will donate it to a local food pantry, offering you a discount on your next purchase.