Touring the nearby Celestial Seasonings factory is one of those things you do only when you have company. Happily, we had some Aussie relatives for a week, and off we went. Actually, Boulder is the one and only tea factory for the Celestial brand. While Lipton's and Bigelow and Tazo are fine teas, it seems only right to support local business when we can.
 |
| James and Jesse |
 |
| Celestial Cafe |
While waiting for the tour grabbing onto your tickets (packages of tea of the day), we wait in the tasting room. You can sample to your hearts delight as long as you reuse your tasting tea cup. The perky girls will even brew you a cup to order, in addition to the urns and dispensers of the beverage hot or cold.
The tour is about 40 minutes, including a brief video in a dark room where you sit with your two guides and about 12-20 others, then hair nets on (beard nets if applicable) and off we go. No photos allowed. Celestial makes 70 teas and what are technically known as herbal infusions, though in the US they are simply called herbal teas. Their ingredients are flown in from 40 countries from around the world. The ingredients are stored in bales or in tightly covered plastic bins. They are cleaned (not with water, but with air, of course), sifted, chopped and then blended by the Celestial Brew Master.
A highlight of the tour is the Mint Room where the peppermint, spearmint and wintermint (wintergreen?) are stored. You are never likely to experience a more powerful hit of menthol in your life, even if you grew up as I did with Vicks VapoRub as a companion to your childhood colds. I had to step out, as my eyes were watering. We also learned that black tea, white tea and green tea all come from the same plant. The timing of the picking and the treatment of the leaves determines the amount of caffeine, antioxidants, and flavor.
We were able to walk around the production floor to view packaging of tea bags, boxing and wrapping machines. A robot arranges all the cases of tea on a pallet. I imagine this cuts down on medical costs from back strain lifting heavy boxes.
The tour is about 40 minutes, including a brief video in a dark room where you sit with your two guides and about 12-20 others, then hair nets on (beard nets if applicable) and off we go. No photos allowed. Celestial makes 70 teas and what are technically known as herbal infusions, though in the US they are simply called herbal teas. Their ingredients are flown in from 40 countries from around the world. The ingredients are stored in bales or in tightly covered plastic bins. They are cleaned (not with water, but with air, of course), sifted, chopped and then blended by the Celestial Brew Master. 
A highlight of the tour is the Mint Room where the peppermint, spearmint and wintermint (wintergreen?) are stored. You are never likely to experience a more powerful hit of menthol in your life, even if you grew up as I did with Vicks VapoRub as a companion to your childhood colds. I had to step out, as my eyes were watering. We also learned that black tea, white tea and green tea all come from the same plant. The timing of the picking and the treatment of the leaves determines the amount of caffeine, antioxidants, and flavor.
The cozy drawings you see on the tea boxes are enlarged and displayed as art works. Possibly it is the other way around. In the cafe, the paintings are giant-sized. The delights of afternoon tea are extolled. As on the packages, pithy sayings adorn the walls and tables. Teapots of all sizes and shapes are displayed, the cute, the silly, the elegant.
We were able to walk around the production floor to view packaging of tea bags, boxing and wrapping machines. A robot arranges all the cases of tea on a pallet. I imagine this cuts down on medical costs from back strain lifting heavy boxes.
Boxes of tea destined for countries outside the US and Canada are about half the size and four times as expensive, as import duties make Celestial Seasonings teas a luxury item abroad. Happily for us, locally the teas are competitively priced. My favorite is Bengal Spice, a chai-type tea. The best sellers, though, are Sleepytime, Chamomile and Peppermint. Still, as I said, there are currently 40 blends to choose from.
The tour ends in the gift shop, and not only did I find the tin to keep my peppermint tea fresh, but I bought myself a two-quart ceramic teapot in bright red. The gift shop had petite china tea sets, etiquette picture books, and more boxes of tea in one small shop than you are likely to see in an ordinary lifetime.
As a matter of fact, this morning I brewed up some Bengal Spice in that satisfyingly red teapot, microwave safe, for iced tea. Lovely, as the Aussies say.