Editor’s Note: This is the fifth installment in a multi-part series of first-person accounts by WTN Contributing Editor

When I started planning my cross-country tea tour, I didn’t expect to find a thriving tea business in Salt Lake City. After all, about half the population is Mormon and, as such, is forbidden from drinking tea and instructed to drink tisanes as they would take other herbs – with prudence.

However, urban Salt Lake City has a population nearing two million, and a potential customer base of one million is plenty to share amongst the three area tea businesses listed on TeaMap. Riding past the stunning mountain landscape off Interstate 15, I was eager to find out how The Tea Grotto tapped into the lesser-known half of SLC.

The food and tea were good, but what really set The Tea Grotto apart was its vibrant warmth. The space – large with high ceilings, whimsical aesthetic touches (including an enormous, colorful tea menu and a lighting fixture made of stemware), free WiFi, local art and plenty of nooks for customers to burrow into – was certainly a factor in the sense of community.

Perhaps more essential to its apparent success was the zeal displayed by the staff and owner. When I asked staff member Amanda Ford about their offerings (giving no hint I was there to write about them), she responded, “Oh, it’s your first time here! Yay!” After they knew my intentions, manager Vanessa Vetica spoke passionately about The Tea Grotto’s dedication to ethically sourced tea, and owner Rebecca Sheeran called to share her thoughts on the importance of small businesses.

Much of the enthusiasm the staff and customers shared for tea seemed to be based on accessibility. The tea menu was quite large, but the price structure was abnormally horizontal, so unusual offerings did not include artisanal puer or oolong, but did include uncommon teas with mass appeal, like loose-leaf African teas, Teapresso lattes and playful masala chai variations. Similarly, tea connoisseurs would find the tea ware to be pedestrian, but it was modern and fun – a perfect introduction for new tea drinkers.

Like so many American tea businesses today, The Tea Grotto wasn’t just welcoming customers to a shop, but to the world of tea. I wasn’t wowed by any particular product, but the experience at The Tea Grotto was truly impressive.