Kahve Cafe Wins Capital's Coffee Madness Tournament

Since opening on June 18, 2011, owner has only taken three days off.

Three days—that’s it.

But now, after battling long hours and the stress of opening a new business, Valentino and his staff are seeing the fruits of their labor.

Earlier this week, The Capital announced that won its .

For weeks, the competition—styled like the NCAA mens basketball tournament—pitted cafes against one another for three-day periods to see which local residents preferred. In its final matchup, Kahve faced Eggcellence of Annapolis and came out with the victory.

“This tournament was a mix of having good coffee and good customers,” Valentino said. “Giving away free coffee brings in new customers, but having good coffee and a nice atmosphere brings people back.”

To support the local cafe, residents obtained a copy of Sunday, Monday or Tuesday editions of The Capital newspaper. Then, they brought in “Coffee Madness Tournament,” coupons from the front page and redeemed them for a free coffee or other beverage.

Valentino said “regulars” came in throughout the competition to drop off coupons without even asking for a beverage. He was quite surprised when his shop ended up winning the whole tournament.

“I had hopes, but no expectations,” he said. “As we advanced through the tournament, customers got into it, too.”

After taking on popular coffee shops in Annapolis, Valentino hopes the win will help Kahve become an even greater part of the Edgewater community.

“We want to become a center of attention outside of Annapolis. You don’t need to go to Annapolis to have an independent cafe, and we’re to the point where we can draw people from all over,” Valentino said. “I think we not only have the best coffee, but the best bagels, the best pastries, it’s all here.”