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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Bengal Spice! Looks like such a fun trip!
I have always loved the lemon zinger! Reminds me of my mom since she always made it growing up 🙂
The Nutcracker Sweet tea is one of my favorites! The Bengal tea you mentioned sounds incredible!
So fun! I did the tour and loved it. I Love the sweet coconut thai chai tea. Also love the decaf sleepytime green tea.
I love mint tea and would love to try candy cane lane!
The holiday pack for sure – yum!
I would love to try the Bengal Spice tea! 🙂
Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride makes a fabulous base for oatmeal!
I love their sleepytime tea…I think it really helps me unwind!
I drink the Sleepytime vanilla camomile almost every night, it’s so good! I’d love to try the pumpkin!
I love the bengal spice tea and sleepytime! I’d love to try the caramel apple one too.
I love their sugar cookie tea and the sleepy time is always in my cabinet!
I love the sugar cookie flavor and the sleepy time!
I’ve always wanted to try their Sugar Cookie tea!
i’d love to try pumpkin spice tea!!
Mmmm….caramel apple dream sounds delicious!
Bengal spice is my favorite! Perfect for a chilly night 🙂
They used to have an orange tea that was amazing! I would love to try the holiday teas especially Candy Cane Lane.
I have only had the Sleepy Time. I love it though. I would love to try all of these. I didn’t know they made so many flavors. I would really love to try the Bengal Spice and Cinnamon Apple.
I’d love to try sugar cookie sleigh ride but it sounds not that appealing at the same time!
I love all the holiday flavors!
I would love to try the Sweet Pumpkin, fall brings out my need for pumpkin everything! And the holiday teas sound lovely too, especially the Nutcracker one.
I love the sugar cookie sleigh ride around the holidays, but I always stockpile 4 or 5 boxes to drink throughout the year. I would love to try the kombucha!
I would love to try the sleepytime!
I work at the hospital in Boulder and have never been on a tea tour! I will most definitely have to try it now- there are so many flavors you have opened my eyes to! Currently, I drink Sleepytime or Sleepytime Vanilla right before bed while reading a book 🙂 I so want to try the Bengal Spice!!
I’ve always loved their Berry Zinger tea!
i would love to try Gingerbread Spice!
The pumpkin tea looks awesome!
Sugar cookie!,
Peppermint
Candy cane lane is amazing! Minty tea is so refreshing! Awesome giveaway, thanks Julie!
I love the Sweet Harvest Pumpkin and I would love to try the Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride!
I love the sleepytime tea – such a classic, and I think it really does help me to sleep better. I’m curious to try the sleepytime extra. That sounds like such a fun visit!
You know? I’ve been reading about your love of the candy cane tea for years, but I’ve never actually tried it. I would LOVE for this to be my excuse to give it a whirl! 🙂
I really love the Jammin’ Lemon Ginger Herbal Tea but am dying to try their seasonal teas! I live in South Korea and flavors like the Candy Cane Lane haven’t made it over here. Here’s hoping they hit the shelves at some point.
I would love to try the holiday flavors!
I am a Candy Cane Lane girl all the way!!! Looking forward to trying that Bengal Spice, though.
All of the flavors sound great! But I would love to try the sweet harvest pumpkin’
I used to drink Bengal spice a lot but would love to try the other flavors. Also that mug is super cute!
I love their sugar cookie flavor during the holidays. You picked such cute gifts!
My favorite Celestial Seasonings tea is definitely peppermint!! It calms me from the inside out!
I love the sugar cookie!
I love the Bengal spice tea with a splash of hazelnut creamer. Sooo delicious! I would really like to try the pumpkin one and the caramel apple.
The candy cane lane tea looks incredible!
My sister got me hooked on their chai tea when she was under-going chemo, and that sweet harvest pumpkin sounds wonderful. I will definitely be looking for it!
Oooohhhh I’d LOVE to try the Candy Cane Lane!
I’d love to try Bengal Spice!
I would love to try the Sleepytime Extra Tea!
I love candy cane lane! It’s one of the best! We also love the sleepy time in our house. I have lived in CO my entire life and never been on the tour but it’s on my bucket list. Some day soon!
I’d love to try the Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride tea!