Exploring Colorado: Touring the Celestial Seasonings Factory in Boulder

During my sister's visit we drove up to Boulder to take a tour of the Celestial Seasonings factory! I've been meaning to go for a while now, but it's about an hour away and the last time she and my mom were out here I was pregnant and that drive just wasn't going to happen. But the factory is located on Sleepytime Drive. How cute is that?



We arrived early and had time to sample 9 teas they had set out and go in the tea shop where we bought a crazy amount of tea that we haven't seen on shelves before. I found a few new (to me) favorites: True Blueberry, which is really good served cold, and Acai Mango. There's also one that has more caffeine than a cup of coffee called Fast Lane. I'm curious to know how that will work against my migraines!



Our ticket into the tour was a 3 pack of Country Peach tea. Again, how cute is that? We watched a ten minute video on how Celestial Seasonings started and met a man who is the factory tea sampler who tastes each batch of tea before it's released. I want that job.



After the video we donned our fancy hair nets and went inside the factory. We weren't allowed to take pics inside but I kept thinking about Charlie and the Chocolate factory with the different rooms and tea flavors and smells. I kept hoping I'd spot an oompa loompa but perhaps next time.

The first room we went into contained green tea and you could totally tell by the smell. It smelled so good! It was kept in its own room because it absorbs other smells and they don't want to mix it with the other teas and herbs. I learned that decaffeinated tea still contains a small amount of caffeine and that if you want a really true caffeine free tea, to drink the herbal ones instead.

Then we went into the famous Mint Room which is famous for a reason, WOW! As we stepped inside, my eyeballs instantly felt cold and it was hard to breath. It was INTENSE. I could only manage shallow breaths as it almost hurt to inhale too deeply because it felt minty cold. I was also starting to feel claustrophobic so I stood right by the door opening and still felt the effects of the mint. Some people had to step outside.

After that we walked around the part of the factory that bags, cuts, and packages the tea in boxes and cellophane wrap. They were currently boxing Watermelon Lime Zinger and Cold Brew Peach. By not having tags on their tea bags, it saves something like 3 million pounds of waste a year! And each year, the factory introduces 15 new flavors. I wish I could hear the tour guide better during this part but it was insanely loud from the machinery so this was all I really managed to hear.



Once the tour was over, we exited into the gift shop, where we bought MORE tea haha. It was a really cool experience. If you're ever in Boulder you should totally stop by. The tour itself is free.