It’s time for a recap of my trip to Boulder, Colorado with Celestial Seasonings!
![Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Bear_thumb[8]](file:///C:/Users/Julie/AppData/Local/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter1286139640/supfiles127DD2B4/Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Bear[6].png "Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Bear_thumb[8]")
I’m excited to share all of the fun with you today! And, at the end of this post, you will find a pretty stellar giveaway packed with items I picked out just for you guys (including some of my favorite teas, a super cute Anthropologie-esque mug, a tumbler, tea kettle, adorable potholder and more). Let’s get to it!
Visiting Celestial Seasonings
Thursday of last week was jam-packed with all things tea! Our morning kicked off with breakfast at the hotel before our group of bloggers hopped in a car and headed to Celestial Seasonings’ headquarters, located on Sleepytime Drive. How appropriate, right!?
Those of us from out of town got a kick out of the adorable prairie dogs that greeted us from the fields as we drove onto the property, but even their cute little faces couldn’t top the welcome we received from the Celestial Seasonings team.
All of the employees greeted us on the front lawn with signs and smiles. It made us feel very welcome and we made sure to thank everyone for their enthusiastic greeting! (Just FYI, Celestial Seasonings offers a free factory tour in Boulder every day of the week!)
Of course we all were especially excited to meet the Sleepytime Bear!
![Celestial Seasonings Bear_thumb[2]](file:///C:/Users/Julie/AppData/Local/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter1286139640/supfiles127DD2B4/Celestial Seasonings Bear[4].jpg "Celestial Seasonings Bear_thumb[2]")
The famous Sleepytime Bear has a cat named Chamomile and I did my best to convince him to get a dog, too, even though I’m pretty sure Sadie wouldn’t touch that bear with a ten-foot pole. She’s not exactly the bravest little creature.
After our warm welcome, it was time to warm our bellies with all the tea we could drink. I’m pretty sure I went to the bathroom every 30 minutes when I was there because I did not stop drinking tea. I loved trying so many new-to-me flavors, including Sweet Harvest Pumpkin (sweetened with a little stevia – so good!) and Cinnamon Apple Spice.
![Celestial Seasonings Tea Tour_thumb[6]](file:///C:/Users/Julie/AppData/Local/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter1286139640/supfiles127DD2B4/Celestial Seasonings Tea Tour[6].jpg "Celestial Seasonings Tea Tour_thumb[6]")
During the tasting, I truly did not try one tea I didn’t like, but there were two big standouts that quickly claimed the top prize in my eyes.
First place went to Bengal Spice herbal tea.
This fragrant tea tasted like the holidays in a cup and was incredibly flavorful thanks to cinnamon, ginger, cardamom and cloves. I was shocked to hear it wasn’t sweetened since it definitely has a sweet flavor. I also think it would be fabulous with a splash of almond milk. I made sure to buy two packs of this tea before we left.
Second place went to the Caramel Apple Dream herbal tea that included quintessential autumn flavors such as apple, cinnamon and maple. (I picked up a box of this one, too!)
Following the tea tasting, we were ushered into the main tour room where we learned more about the company’s beginnings and the direction they hope to go in the future. Founded in 1969 by Mo Siegel, Celestial Seasonings came to be when Mo and his friends decided to bring the blended herbal teas they made in the Colorado mountains to health food stores. The company continues Mo’s passion for herbal tea and many of the ingredients used in their teas come from the same farmers Celestial Seasonings has used for upwards of 30 years.
After learning a bit about the company, we were off to the next activity, but not before I quickly snagged a bottle of Celestial Seasonings kombucha.
![Celestial Seasonings Kombucha_thumb[1]](file:///C:/Users/Julie/AppData/Local/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter1286139640/supfiles127DD2B4/Celestial Seasonings Kombucha[3].jpg "Celestial Seasonings Kombucha_thumb[1]")
I drank a bottle of the super green tropical blend and thought it was great. I am rather picky when it comes to kombucha since I’ve tried my fair share of kombucha I have not enjoyed, so I was happy to love this one!
And then it was off to do some more tea tasting, only this time we learned a bit about the brewing process. I clearly had a lot to learn because I always leave my tea bags in my mug when I make myself a cup of tea which is a big no-no.
Here are a few single-cup brewing tips for the most popular kinds of tea:
- Green Tea: To brew a great cup of green tea, place one tea bag in your cup. Pour very hot (just at the brink of boiling) water over the tea bag. Cover and steep 3 minutes. Remove tea bag and add lemon and/or sweetener if desired.
- Chai Tea: Place one tea bag in your favorite mug. Fill with 3/4 cup boiling water. Steep for 4 to 6 minutes. For authentic chai taste, remove tea bag and fill mug with 1/4 cup hot milk or dairy substitute. Sweeten to taste with sugar or honey.
- Black Tea: Place one tea bag in your cup and pour boiling water over it, cover and steep 3 to 5 minutes, depending on desired strength. Remove tea bag. We recommend adding honey to sweeten.
- Herbal Tea: Place one tea bag in your favorite cup. Add boiling water and let steep 4 to 6 minutes. Sweeten if you desire – we recommend honey!
Another quick tip: Squeeze the tea bag before removing it from your cup. Why? Tea leaves can absorb up to seven times their weight in water and compressing the bag enhances color and flavor.
Following our tea tasting, we sat down to a lunch that included fresh salads, salmon and sweet treats before it was time to slip into our marshmallow suits and head off on the factory tour.
![Celestial Seasonings Tour_thumb[10]](file:///C:/Users/Julie/AppData/Local/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter1286139640/supfiles127DD2B4/Celestial Seasonings Tour[10].jpg "Celestial Seasonings Tour_thumb[10]")
![Celestial Seasonings Factory Tour_thumb[2]](file:///C:/Users/Julie/AppData/Local/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter1286139640/supfiles127DD2B4/Celestial Seasonings Factory Tour[6].jpg "Celestial Seasonings Factory Tour_thumb[2]")
During the tour, I chatted with our guide about the holiday teas which are some of my all-time favorites. (I’m looking at you Candy Cane Lane!) He told me that the inspiration behind their Nutcracker Sweet tea came from an 11-year-old girl on one of their factory tours. She was a ballerina and said they should make a holiday tea and call it “Nutcracker Sweet.” This eventually led to more favorites like Sugar Plum Spice.
![Celestial Seasonings Holiday Teas_thumb[1]](file:///C:/Users/Julie/AppData/Local/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter1286139640/supfiles127DD2B4/Celestial Seasonings Holiday Teas[3].jpg "Celestial Seasonings Holiday Teas_thumb[1]")
No trip to the Celestial Seasonings factory is complete without a visit to the Mint Room, so we made sure to spend some time in the incredibly aromatic space where all of the mint is stored before we were done.
![Celestial Seasonings Mint Room_thumb[1]](file:///C:/Users/Julie/AppData/Local/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter1286139640/supfiles127DD2B4/Celestial Seasonings Mint Room[3].jpg "Celestial Seasonings Mint Room_thumb[1]")
Our day at Celestial Seasonings concluded with a happy hour that included tea-infused cocktails.
My favorite was the Until Next Time cocktail made with vodka, chamomile simple syrup, lemon juice, egg whites and strawberry puree. It was fantastic!
![strawberry tea infused cocktail_thumb[1]](file:///C:/Users/Julie/AppData/Local/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter1286139640/supfiles127DD2B4/strawberry tea infused cocktail[3].jpg "strawberry tea infused cocktail_thumb[1]")
And now it’s giveaway time!
Before we said goodbye to our friends at Celestial Seasonings, we were each given a gift card to use in the Tea Shop toward a giveaway for our readers. I obviously wanted to include some of my favorite teas, but I also added a few extra things that I hope you love!
![Celestial Seasonings Giveaway_thumb[1]](file:///C:/Users/Julie/AppData/Local/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter1286139640/supfiles127DD2B4/Celestial Seasonings Giveaway[3].jpg "Celestial Seasonings Giveaway_thumb[1]")
This giveaway includes:
- Celestial Seasonings Holiday Tea Sampler Pack (Candy Cane Lane, Gingerbread Spice, Sweet Harvest Pumpkin, Nutcracker Sweet)
- Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice Herbal Tea
- Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Extra Tea
- Alba Botannica Hawaiian Body Cream
- Alba Cherry Lip Balm
- WoodWick Candle in Bakery Cupcake (This smells amazing!)
- Festive Mug
![Aroma Gourmet Electric Kettle_thumb[1]](https://i2.wp.com/pbfingers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/AromaGourmetElectricKettle_thumb11.jpg "Aroma Gourmet Electric Kettle_thumb[1]")
- Aroma Gourmet Electric Digital Kettle
- Celestial Seasonings Tumbler
- Celestial Seasonings Teas with Altitude t-shirt
- Cute Potholder with Embroidered Towel
To enter this giveaway, simply leave a comment below telling me about your favorite Celestial Seasonings tea or the kind of Celestial Seasonings tea you’d love to try!
I will randomly select a winner on Friday morning. Good luck!
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Would love to try the pumpkin flavors! It’s fall, just seems the right thing to do.
I’d love to try Candy Cane Lane – it seems to be everyone’s favorite! 🙂
I love the candy cane flavor on a snowy winter day! I’d love to try the pumpkin-didn’t know they had that flavor out!
i love the sugar cookie sleigh ride flavor and the gingerbread spice!
I love Sleepytime!
I love candy cane lane! I stock up at Christmas so I can have it year round. Although now I really want to try nutcracker sweet!
I love the Chai tea and Sleepytime! I would really love to try Harvest Pumpkin!
I have recently tried to give up drinking and have replaced it with tea at night. I love Holiday flavors and sleepy teas. I’d love to try the gingerbread.
I’m a singer, so I LIVE on this tea! I love Lemon Zinger and I drink Sleepytime every night before bed!
would love to try the pumpkin one! I am on a HUGE pumpkin kick! Go figure 😉
Sleepy time!!!!!
I would love to give the Bengal Spice a try, it sounds delicious!! My husband and I could use lots of these goodies for our move next month to New Hampshire from sunny and warm Florida…I have the feeling we’ll need all the warm teas we can get! 🙂
I usually just drink black tea, but I would love to try some of the holiday flavors!
I’d love to try the Caramel Apple Dream, sounds delicious!
candy cane lane!!
i love sleepytime tea 🙂
I’m excited to have Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride back for the winter!
Oh I need to find that.
Oh my gosh I would love to try the Cinnamon Apple Spice or the Bengal Spice. I LOVE IT and these should right up my alley.
I love Mint Magic!
definetly sleepy time!
I love the Sleepytime and chamomile teas! I’ll be in Ft. Collins for 8 weeks for my first PT internship soon and I’m definitely going to check them out! Thanks for the post, Julie!
I have always been a fan of the holiday collection, especially candycane lane!! I would also love to try the pumpkin variety. Awesome giveaway!!
I would love to try the Candy Cane Lane!
I love their teas! The Chai is one of my favorites!
Mmmm….candy cane lane!
Love the pumpkin spice! It is especially yummy when you use a brewed cup to cook your oatmeal with!
Sugar cookie sleigh ride! I usually get enough to last me year round and not just the holidays
I have always liked Sleepytime, but the Sleppytime Vanilla is fantastic! I am going to be on the lookout for this Sugar Cookie though.
I love sleepytime tea, but I really want to try the holiday teas!
I love their seasonal teas – Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride and Candy Cane Lane! Thanks for the giveaway, so jealous of your experience at the factory!
I love candy cane lane!
Some sleepytime tea would be good right about now since it is getting late here in IL, but I would absolutely love the try the Bengal tea you recommended or the Apple Cinnamon Spice tea because well… FALL!
LOVE chai tea!! Absolute favorite 🙂 my husband loves the sleepy time tea!
I love anything minty. The candy cane lane flavor sounds delish!
I LOVE their Pomegranate Green Tea and you cannot go wrong with Sleepytime!! I would love to try their Bengal Spice and anything seasonal like the Sweet Harvest Pumpkin. Would love to go visit Boulder; Colorado is so beautiful!
I am DYING to try Candy Cane Lane. Every year I see it on a blog, but can NEVER find it in stores! 🙂
All the holiday teas look so delicious and I would love to try them during the cold Chicago winter!!
I love their sleepy time tea. Since the holidays are coming I would love to try the gingerbread spice tea and the candy cane one. Both sound very holiday festive. Loved reading this post.
I would love to try any of the holiday blends!!
Celestial Seasonings is awesome! I love their Sleepytime and India Spice Chai!
Oh my gosh, I hope I win this giveaway!! I am the biggest tea fan!! I love so many of their flavors, but haven’t tried the Bengal Spice. It sounds right up my alley, so I’d love to try it!
I want to try the ginger and sugar cookie sleigh ride teas!
The candy cane lane sounds yummy!
Love the chai and sleepy Time! Would love to try some of the festive holiday flavors!
I want to try the gingerbread sweet flavor!
I want to try all of those holiday flavors!
Gingerbread spice sounds amazing!
Hello! I’d love to sip on Candy Cane Lane-sounds delicious! All the other goodies you posted look great!:)
Right now I’m liking the honey vanilla chamomile but I would love to try the holiday flavors you mentioned like candy cane lane and nutcracker sweet.
I love love love Candy Cane lane during the chillier months!
Another vote for Sleepy time tea!!!