In today’s modern world of food processing and chain coffee shops, it’s a true rarity to find a place that uses all natural, local ingredients and that serves something other than the standard frappuccino. In Huntsville, Ala., this rarity is found in the quaint tea shoppe Piper & Leaf: Artisan Tea Company.

Piper & Leaf is a locally owned tea shoppe that serves a vast variety (over 20 flavors) of original and classic teas—hot or cold—that are made from handpicked ingredients in the shoppe’s own garden or from a local supplier of herbs, spices, fruits, etc., and then blended into creative flavors by the shoppe’s owner Caleb Christopher.

The shoppe has a store front located in Lowe Mill, but can also be found at Bridge Street Town Centre, farmers’ markets, and other events as well.

As an avid tea drinker since a young age, when I heard about this shoppe I knew that I had to try one of their products. The tea I was expecting was your typical coffee shop or café tea where they give you a classic tea bag and some hot water and send you on your way. Little did I know how far Piper & Leaf would exceed my expectations.

The staff was the first hint to the shoppe’s brilliance. When I walked into the Lowe Mill storefront, I was instantly greeted with smiles and a friendly welcoming.

The workers were all smiling and truly seemed to enjoy their work. When I asked about what tea options were available, the employee behind the counter did not hesitate to describe to me, in explicit detail, what ingredients went into which tea, what it tasted like, how it was best served, and whether it was a public favorite or not.

“I love that Piper & Leaf has a hardworking and friendly staff who are quick to offer advice, special options, and information on the making and ingredients of their teas,” says Tori Lewis, a Bob Jones senior and avid tea drinker.

The atmosphere of the shoppe was the next thing to grab my attention. The store front has a rustic, homey feel to its layout and decor, and it makes the customer feel at ease. While I waited for my tea, I could not help but spin around to look at the chalkboard art and the sun-bleached wood. It was quirky and different and a place I would feel comfortable spending hours in.

Now for the part we’ve all been waiting for: How was the tea?

One word: Incredible.

Piper & Leaf offers so many fantastic original flavors—such as “Front Porch Special” or “Lemon Berry Blush”—that it’s almost overwhelming trying decide which flavor to choose because you don’t want to miss out on how amazing any other flavor might be.

To ease this anxiety—which I’m sure is common with their customers—the shoppe allows their customers to try samples of each brew. After sampling all of them—and adoring all of them—I decided on “Briar Batch Brew.”

The shoppe sells their teas in a cup for $4.00 or in a mason jar (a quart) for $8.00 with $4.00 refills every time you bring the jar to one of their venues.

They also sell their brews in dried tea bags as well as t-shirts.

While some might call this pricey, I can assure you that it is absolutely worth it. The tea is so fresh and pure and clean that it has no need for any sweetener. But should you be an old country fan of sweet tea, the option of sweetener is there.

I instantly wanted a refill as soon as I was finished with mine and could have stayed in the store all day drinking their tea. And the best part: I knew I was drinking something that my body would benefit from.

“My favorite aspect of Piper & Leaf,” Lewis says, “is that all their teas are made with natural plant-based ingredients, because a lot of restaurants focus on healthy eating and not healthy drinking.”

This small, family-run tea company is slowly on the rise from kiosks at farmers’ markets to a favorite amongst many in the Madison-Huntsville area.

“I, as a tea drinker since childhood, have always searched for beautiful little tea places,” says Bob Jones freshman Maggie Moore. “My family and I first discovered this brilliant local shop at a farmer’s market. We increasingly bought more and more of their tea as they became a local phenomenon.”

“There is rarely a time I’m not speaking to a customer or making a jar of tea,” says Kayla Thompson, a senior at Bob Jones and a Piper & Leaf employee. “We have had people waiting in line for twenty minutes because the line was so long and they would finally get to the table and ask ‘What are you guys selling?’ It shows how much people trust our company to wait that long and not even know what is being sold that day!”

So from one tea-lover to another, I would highly suggest making some time to head over to one of the tea company’s many locations (which can be found at their website) and treat yourself to a jar of one of their amazing brews before somebody else beats you to it. There is truly no other place like it.