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://www.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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I absolutely love Sleepy Time Tea… it’s my go to bed time tea. It’s calming. I am in LOVE with pumpkin flavored everything though and would really like to try the Sweet Harvest Pumpkin tea.
I love their decaf green tea but you’ve gotten me curious about the Bengal Spice! Thanks for the tips — I’m always so bad about leaving the bag in my tea until I finish drinking it :-/
Oh yum, I would love to try the chai!
My favorite is Sweet Apple Chamomile!
My favorite is the Bengal Spice! It’s a perfect fall drink!
Sleigh Ride for life!!
I am a Chai tea girl!!!
I’ve always been a fan of the classic chamomile!
My favorite tea is Sleepytime for everyday and Nutcracker Sweet once holiday food becomes even remotely acceptable!
Candy Cane Lane will always have a wonderful place in my heart – my best friend in college and I bonded over hot cups of CCL when the days got chilly, or even when they didn’t, discussing big and small things in her little duplex on a hand-me-down couch 🙂
Mint anything all the way, but Mint Magic is amazing!
I don’t think I’ve disliked ANY of the Celestial teas, but my favorite is sugar cookie! If you add a few drops of honey to it, it’s amazing!
I love sleepytime, it reminds me of my grandma! I would love to try the pumpkin spice!
My favorite is sleepytime tea. It really helps me wind down after a long day.
My favorite is Candy Cane Lane!!! YUM!
Sleepytime is my favorite! The tour looked so cool!
I would LOVE to try any teas from the Celestial Seasonings Holiday Tea Sampler Pack since the only one I can find here in Canada is Candy Cane Lane which I absolutely fell in LOVE with when I was in University. It was a great sweet treat and I found the mint helped keep me focused! So that being said, any of the holiday teas but if I had to pick one I would pick Sweet Harvest Pumpkin! Tis the season!!
I always look for the holiday flavors like candy cane!
I would love to try the Nutcracker Sweet — I enjoy holiday teas, although I’m a huge Chai lover.
I love Celestial Seasonings tea! Their Sleepytime and Candy Cane Lane are 2 of my favorites 🙂 Really though, I haven’t tried a flavor I didn’t like. Such a neat opportunity, thanks for sharing!
I’d love to try their bengal spice, but I love the mint!
I love the Fast Lane tea but I would love to try the Bengal Spice.
I love their decaf mint tea:) but I really want to try the gingerbread one:)
I love green teas! This was an awesome tour! So fun to see behind the scenes for a tea company! Amazing giveaway to!
I’d love to try the sleepytime vanilla, or the peach passion!
I always love chai tea, but I’ve never made it the “authentic” way by adding milk. I’d love to try that sometime when I have a little extra time on my hands!
I absolutely love candy cane lane!! I will probably be trying the Bengal Spice from your recommendation as it is filled with my favorite flavors!
I love the chai! What a great giveaway, just in time for the dreary weather. Thanks!
My current favorite flavor is vanilla honey chamomile, but I haven’t yet tried the caramel apple spice – I think that one might take the cake!
Would love to try the Bengal Spice! Love some holiday in a cup!!
I love chai teas, so I think it would be fun to try the honey vanilla white tea chai tea
I would love to try the Candy Cane Lane flavor! I love all things Christmas!
Love the candy cane lane!
My favorite is gingerbread spice and nutcracker sweet. I’d live to try the caramel apple and sweet harvest pumpkin but they don’t have them in Canada :(.
I love the Sleepytime tea. As a shift worker, I enjoy a nice cup before bed the night before a day shift to help me sleep! I’m a huge fan of anything pumpkin, so I would love to try the Sweet Harvest Pumpkin flavor! The tour looks like it was really fun…if I ever find myself in Boulder, I’ll definitely check it out:)
I love love love Cinnamon Apple Spice! Your trip looked like so much fun!
I drink an insane amount of tea daily. The cinnamon apple spice tea sounds amazing and has officially been added to my grocery list. Thanks for sharing and opening my eyes to how many different flavors of tea are out there. Yum.
Tension Tamer is my all time favorite!
I love their cinnamon apple spice flavor… But now can’t wait to try the pumpkin flavor!
I love candy cane lane and chai!
I haven’t tried many of Celestial Seasonings teas, but the Candy Cane Lane one sounds intriguing since I love peppermint tea.
I love drinking herbal tea- it just makes me feel so calm and relaxed. It is a simple pleasure. And, Fall is the perfect tea-time season for me! I would love to try the pumpkin flavor! I’m a big green tea drinker as well, and I am always on the look-out for a new green tea variety to try out!
I love tea so muc and this giveaway is all my favorite things!! My fave tea is Candy Cane Lane and now I really want to try Bengal Spice. With almond milk! Why have I never put almond milk in tea before?! 🙂
What an amazing giveaway! I’m in the mood for all things Fall/Holidays right now so I would LOVE to try the Bengal Spice or the Carmel Apple Dream tea!
I’m a huge fan of their gingerbread spice tea 🙂
I love the Sugar Plum, but the Caramel Apple Dream sounds amazing!! Also, I’d love to try the Bengal “Holiday in a cup”…..sounds lovely and just in time for Fall/Christmas 🙂
Looks like you had a fun trip Julie! I would love to try the Candy Cane Lane, sounds like a perfectly yummy tea for Christmas time
I want to try candy cane lane!
Thanks so much for this givewaway! Your “goody bag” looks awesome! A staple in my house is Sleepy Time. I love having a cup as I get ready for bed. I also would love to try the Bengal Spice I always hear great things about it.
It’s finally starting to feel like fall outside so the sweet harvest pumpkin sounds tasty!