Celestial Seasonings in Boulder, CO – True to Their Roots

As the world flocks to coffee houses every morning like their lives depend on it, I am heading for my cup of tea. I am not a coffee drinker, but I understand that some people can’t function in the morning until their first cup. I just never acquired the taste I guess. But I have grown a fond liking of Celestial Seasonings teas, here in Boulder, Colorado, especially the Peppermint and Mint Magic, yum.

Before we moved here to Colorado, Celestial Seasonings was one of the first places we visited on our trip (besides Coors, lol). Now that we live here I have visited many times, but I am still quite impressed with their building, their tour, and the quality of their various teas. They have green tea, chai tea, rooibos tea, wellness tea, Cool Brew iced tea, plus many other types of tea.  The choices seem endless. Here is their website with a list of all the different teas they sell.

When you first walk into the building you can smell several different types of teas but it is very hard to decipher between them after a while. All I remember was that the room smelt wonderful. Once you sign you are given a pack of tea bags (yeas a free gift as soon as you walk in! ) which tells you which tour you will be on. The hostess then directs you to the tasting room where you can sample as many of the different teas available while you wait for the tour. This was amazing. I love all their teas, and to be able to try as many as I wanted was exciting.

While we were drinking our tea, we wandered around and looked at the artwork they have all around the tasting room. It is interesting to see some of the packaging that has been used since Celestial Seasonings started in 1969. It was nice to see how things have changed through the years. Try to take some time to look around before or after your tour.

As it turned out we only had about 20 minutes before our tour started, but it tried a few. They also told us we could come back to sample more after the tour. Yeah! The tour begins with a short little video about tea and its origins. They give us a brief idea of what we will see on the tour as well as some safety rules. However, the best part of the video is at the end when they tell us we have to wear a hairnet on the tour. The first time I went with two of my nieces I didn’t tell them this part beforehand and waited to see their expressions. It was priceless, lol.

The tour actually lasts about 45 minutes and they teach us how their tea is made from raw ingredients to the finished product. It is really interesting and I love watching the robotic arm move boxes around in the packaging area. However, the best part of the tour, hands down, is the Mint Room. My mom and I can’t get enough of it. We wish they would do tours of just the mint room, lol. It smells so wonderful and really clears your sinuses. Lol

The tour ends in the gift shop which has all available teas for sale as well as cute little teapot sets. Of course, they have much more, but these are the things that always stick out to me. It was a great tour and something you should try to do when in the Boulder area.

During the tour, we also learned that they have 105 varieties of tea, 2.1 million visitors a year and that all of their tea is made at their facility here in Colorado. That’s pretty amazing and shocking. They state that they serve 1.6 billion cups of tea per year. That’s a crazy statistic. I would definitely add to that though if I were to work there, lol

I love going to Celestial Seasonings and enjoy bringing out-of-town guests (like my nieces and nephews) to enjoy this wonderful place. It is also a place to come, have a cup of tea, and just relax. It’s always nice to get a break once in a while. I will leave you with one more thing, a question. Do you know which tea is their bestselling specialty tea of all time? Make a guess below and see if you are right? Hope you enjoyed learning a little more about Celestial Seasonings. I am off to have a spot of tea, lol.  After my tea, I may make a day of it, and go take a tour of the Hammonds Candy. It is a fun and tasty day indeed.

Celestial Seasonings Visitor Information

Address:

4600 Sleepytime Drive
Boulder, CO 80301

Phone:

303-581-1266

Tours: Free

M-F	10am-4pm	10am-5pm	10am-5pm
SAT	10am-4pm	10am-5pm	10am-5pm
SUN	11am-3pm	11am-4pm	11am-4pm

Important Info about the tours (according to their website):

• Children under 5 years of age are not allowed on the factory portion of the tour.
• Children under 15 must be accompanied by an adult.
• Photography is prohibited in the factory.
• Hairnets and beard nets covering facial hair are required in the factory.
• Food, drinks, gum, and glass containers are not allowed in the factory.
• Service animals are not allowed in the factory.
• Restrooms are not available during the factory portion of the tour.
• Smoking is allowed only in designated areas.
• Courtesy wheelchairs are available for guests but they are limited in quantity and are available on a first-come, first-served basis.  Tour Guides will not be available to push wheelchairs in the factory.
• Tour participants must allow the tour guide to lead at all times.
• Prohibited items policy includes items that we determine may be harmful or disruptive to our guests or employees.  Examples of prohibited items include but are not limited to alcoholic beverages or any illegal substance under state or federal law, weapons of any kind, or objects that appear to be weapons (including toy guns such as squirt guns, nerf guns, etc.)  Drones, remote control devices, skateboards, scooters, inline skates, and shoes with built-in wheels.