Celestial Seasonings

John and I decided to put on our best hippie clothing and head out to Boulder for some “herbal remedies.” Tea. Over 100 flavors, some hot, some cold. Celestial Seasonings offers daily tours of the factory where the tea is produced and packaged. It really is amazing to see all of the varieties for sale and sampling. I’d highly recommend the Strawberry Iced Tea.

Two hippies in Boulder started the company. They thought the natural herbs growing near the mountainside provided the perfect place for their business. Boy were they right!

Along the tour they take you into the sealed off peppermint room. You might be saying to yourself, “big whoop!” But when that door starts to open and your lungs fill with that potent aroma you know there’s no forgetting that moment. Ever. It starts by filling your lungs, and then it kinda burns your eyes and throat. It clears out your sinuses before your first breath even leaves you lips. During the next 30 seconds, most of the tourists left the room for fresher air. What a delight! They say the peppermint is so strong that they need to keep it away from the other herbs to keep it from permeating all the other flavors. Imagine that. Peppermint get’s its own room. Lucky!

As with most tours, one of the best parts was the packaging. Unfortunately, Celestial Seasonings does not allow pictures because some of their equipment was designed special for them and they don’t want the secret to get out (just think of the payout!).

Our second favorite of the tour was the amazing paintings that are displayed throughout the buildings. The paintings we saw are displayed on the actual tea boxes that get shipped out. Very fun, bright and relaxing images go with every box of tea.