First it was Caribou. Then it became Inman Perk. Now reincarnating in the space next to Everybody’s Pizza in Emory Village is Method, a three-week-old tea shop.

The ambience of the shop is calming and therapeutic — dimmed lights and the sweet, herbal aroma of chamomile and whole leaf tea wafting through the air.

As I walked into the quiet cafe, I was greeted by two men at the counter; one of whom was Dale Donchey, the brains behind the new coffee shop. Donchey and his staff have a great amount of knowledge and passion for tea, as should be expected if you take the extra effort to buy direct trade.

Method buys its tea from Intelligentsia Coffee, a company whose main philosophy is sustaining a tangible relationship between growers and buyers. The supplier travels to the root of the source and works personally alongside farmers — a direct collaboration.

By working with farmers one-on-one, the company can ensure quality and environmentally friendly practices. In turn, Intelligentsia coffee offers above-fair-trade prices for the tea.

Method’s tea selection is broken up into seasonal offerings, herbals and blends, and iced teas. Most were grown in Taiwan, China and India.

I ordered the “Cloud and Mist” green tea grown in Fujian, China, a special recommendation from the owner. He personally steeped the whole leaf tea in hot water and brought the steaming tea cup on a wooden plate.

The practice and belief in Zen fuels many of the stylistic elements of Method. Forget about “Caution:Hot!” sleeves on coffee cups: Method only uses mugs without handles, to ensure that the customer pay more attention to the drinks, consuming them fully, with all the senses.

The green tea was soothing and pleasurable. It had a subtle taste, not too rich, with an undertone of sweetness.

Besides tea, the shop serves artisan espresso drinks and hand-crafted hot and iced coffees. Also available are a variety of delicious muffins, brownies, bagels and croissants to munch on while soaking in the atmosphere.

It is interesting to see such a progressive shop emerge as a consequence of its predecessors. Caribou Coffee closed its doors only two years ago because the cozy space didn’t fit into an expansive corporate plan. The company’s new requirements called for drive-thru windows and massive square footage, neither of which came with the Emory Village setting.

Caribou’s successor, Inman Perk, only occupied the Village space for about a year. The small café was only filling the space as a temporary location before it too moved on to a bigger space in the nearby Toco Hills shopping center.

With luck, Method will not also become a victim of circumstance or move on to a bigger and so-called “better” location. The intimate space suits it.

With the free WiFi and such a peaceful environment, it is the antithesis of the nearby and ever-pervasive Starbucks. And with live music every Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m., it is the perfect place to calm the mind after a hard day.

How very Zen.

— Contact Niranjani Prabhakar