Celestial Seasonings has run public tours of its Boulder tea factory for decades, and it remains one of the cheapest ‘how it’s made’ field trips on the Front Range at $6 per person (plus online service fees). The 45-minute tour covers blending, packaging and shipping and includes the Mint Room, where the peppermint and spearmint are stored; about 30 minutes is spent walking on concrete factory floors. Free tea tastings in the tea shop follow (shop open Tuesday-Saturday 10-5).
Rules to know before you book: children under 5 are not allowed on the tour, anyone under 15 must be with an adult, hairnets are required, no photography on the floor, and no animals of any kind, including service animals, on the factory floor. Tours run Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and are closed Sunday, Monday and major holidays. Online reservations are required and open up to three months ahead. No group policy is listed; call the tour center at 303-581-1484 for a large co-op.
Lesson hooks
- How it’s made: sourcing, blending and automated packaging.
- Botany and geography: where tea and herbs come from and how they reach Boulder.
- Same day: the free NCAR Mesa Lab is across town.
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