“Celestial Seasonings”
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Hey! My name is Juli Herder, and I’m a
senior majoring in Spanish and Biology.
Today was a completely
free day to relax and enjoy the city before our Outfly alumni event
tomorrow. I got up early to catch
a bus downtown at 7, where I transferred to another bus that took me to
Broomfield. Some family friends
from a northern suburb picked me up at the park-and-ride there. The original plan was to go hiking in
Estes Park for the day, but when I woke up this morning, it was thunder
storming and pouring rain. No
hiking today!
I ate breakfast at
their house, and we chatted and caught up—I hadn’t seen them in a few years and
had a lot to share about my experience in Denver this month. They were both excited to hear that I
will be back in the city in August for the Urban Servant Corps—a year-long
volunteer program in Denver. It
was nice to hear about their kids and grandson!
Instead of hiking, we
went to Boulder to tour the Celestial Seasonings tea factory. I wasn’t sure
what to expect at first, but it was really interesting! We spent a half hour sampling different
teas, and then we had a free 45-minute tour of the factory. I like trying different types of tea
(and Argentine mate…), but I wouldn’t consider myself a tea fanatic. This, however, was really cool. We first watched a 10-minute video
about the production of tea and the history of the company. We then walked into
different rooms where they store tea leaves and different herbs and spices. I really liked the mint room—they have
to keep mint separate from all the other herbs and spices because of its
potency. Many of the people
couldn’t even go into the mint room because it was so strong, but I really
liked it. It cleared my
sinuses! I don’t remember how much
tea they produce each day, but I was amazed by how much they send around the
United States and even export to other countries as novelty teas. They have around 150 different flavors,
or blends of tea.
Here’s a fun fact
about tea: It’s always caffeinated.
If a tea says “decaf” it still has about 5% caffeine. If a tea says “caffeine-free” then it’s
not really tea. Here’s why—a true
tea is made with tea leaves, and the decaffeinating process still leaves some
caffeine in the leaves. If there
are no tea leaves (meaning it is caffeine-free), then the drink is considered
an herbal infusion, which some companies still call tea just to sell it. I’m sure that tea fanatics already knew
this, but I thought it was something cool!
Overall, it was a fun
day despite the yucky weather. I
am glad that there are fun, free things to do in Denver and in the surrounding
area! It was also great to catch
up with some old friends!
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