A very special Sweet Harvest Pumpkin Tea Latte recipe, inspired by my visit to the Celestial Seasonings Headquarters in Boulder, Colorado. Read all the way to the end for an incredible $100+ value Tea Lovers Giveaway!
This past week I had the chance to visit the Celestial Seasonings Headquarters, one of the largest specialty tea manufacturers in North America. One of my favorite things about my job is getting to see the “behind the scenes” of brands I love and use everyday. Opportunities like these…to meet the people and see the hard work and dedication that goes into bringing my favorite cup of tea to life is something I really love. I could never imagine all the thought and effort that goes into something that gives me my most simple of pleasures each day, like tea time.
The people at Celestial Seasonings were as warm and welcoming as their tea… they made us feel so comfortable and appreciated. Driving up to the facilities was especially humbling as the entire company was standing outside, holding signs and cheering our arrival. I was so touched and I know the other bloggers I was with felt the same way. For a corporation this big to stop their production line to welcome us is a pretty big deal.
We took in a lot of great information during our day, but I’d like to share 5 fun facts I learned while on my tour. I hope you can learn a few things about Celestial Seasonings and you just might learn how you’ve been making your tea wrong all these years, like me!
Top Five Fun Facts About Celestial Seasonings Tea
1. We had the chance to do a tea tasting while at the Celestial Seasonings Headquarters. Did you know there is such a thing as a “Super Taster“? Well Celestial Seasonings very own blendmaster, Charlie Baden, has been the expert hand behind Celestial Seasonings Teas for over 30 years. I was fascinated to learn that Charlie can blindly taste teas and can tell you everything that is in his cup and can even tell you what region the blend came from… all from taste! Isn’t that incredible? Needless to say, I was not nearly as successful with taste testing as Charlie is!
2. Tea is one of the most popular beverages in the world, second only to water. In many cultures it has become a vital part of everyday living. In some, serving tea is wrapped in ceremony and ritual, while in others, sharing tea is a time for fellowship or refreshment. I know for me, tea is a part of my special mid-day chill out time and part of my bedtime routine. I love a cup of Sleepytime Extra before going to bed. How about you?
3. The use of tea in the culinary world is quickly gaining popularity. We had the pleasure of enjoying food created by chefs using Celestial Seasonings as an ingredient. Towards the end of the day we also enjoyed very special “tea cocktails”. My friend Amy shared the recipe for my favorite cocktail we had over on her blog..check out the Jammin’ Lemon Ginger Drop recipe!
4. Celestial Seasonings cares deeply about working with those who use sustainable farming practices. They also have made the environment and future of our planet a priority… Celestial Seasonings uses natural fiber, chlorine-free tea bags that are biodegradable and compostable – making them better for you and for the planet. The unique pillow-style tea bag doesn’t need a string, tag, staple or individual wrapper, which helps save 3.5 million pounds of waste from entering landfills every year!
5. I love Celestial Seasonings packaging, don’t you? We had the opportunity to learn how each box of tea comes to life through artist illustrations. The original paintings from the Celestial Seasonings tea boxes are displayed in the front lobby of the Celestial Seasonings visitors center. Did you know if you are in Boulder, you too can take a tour and learn all the great things I did? I highly recommend it! It’s a fascinating company to see the behind the scenes of.
Bonus fact…I am one of those people who always just kept my tea bag in my tea, even while I drank it. I just assumed the longer the bag was in the hot water, the more flavorful it would be. I was completely wrong. Here’s how the folks at Celestial Seasonings (who you know, know a thing or two about steepology) suggest we do it.
Watch the clock, not the color. Never brew tea by color if you want the perfect cup. Some teas brew light, others dark. Always brew by the clock — Celestial Seasonings recommends three to five minutes for green and black teas, four to six minutes for herb teas and six minutes for wellness teas.
Squeeze the bag. Some people have debated — to squeeze or not to squeeze. Celestial Seasonings recommends squeezing the bag. Why? Tea leaves can absorb up to seven times their weight in water and compressing the bag enhances color and flavor. So, give a gentle squeeze to the tea bag before removing from the cup.
You made it to the end of the post! I hope you learned some things and found the things I got to experience at Celestial Seasonings informative! I have an extra special giveaway Tea Lovers giveaway for you today! I think you are really going to love what I have in store for you. Thanks to my friends at Celestial Seasonings, I was able to go on a mega shopping spree for you and me at the Celestial Seasonings gift shop! Look what I have for you!
To enter the giveaway for a collection of goodies from my Celestial Seasonings trip, fill out the giveaway widget below the recipe!
Also, I bought myself an espresso machine for my birthday and used it this week to make the most delicious Pumpkin Spice “La-Tea”. The recipe was from the Celestial Seasonings recipe page, but you’ll want to check it out below as well!
Pumpkin Spice Tea Latte Recipe
Ingredients
- • 2-3 bags Celestial Seasonings Sweet Harvest Pumpkin Tea
- • 1 cup milk
- • Pinch cinnamon
Instructions
If you have an espresso machine: Clean your machine’s coffee basket thoroughly. Cut open 3 tea bags, pour tea into basket and compress as if it were coffee. Brew a single “shot” and pour into coffee mug. Steam milk using wand and pour over brewed tea. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Without espresso machine: In a medium saucepan, gently heat milk over low heat until very warm but not boiling. Add 2 tea bags and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, remove tea bags. Using a whisk, beat milk until it foams. Pour into coffee mug and sprinkle with cinnamon.
Notes
Thanks for going on this journey with me! And a special thanks to Celestial Seasonings for being a sponsor of Dine & Dish. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own!
I love Sleepytime 🙂
My husband and I both love Nutcracker Sweet! We always get so excited when we see the Christmas teas on the shelves!
My favorite Celestial Seasonings Tea is Sleepytime and I love trying the new seasonal blends
Sleepytime.
Any of the Chai’s!
Sleepy time is my favorite, too!
Sleepy time! And peach! And peppermint! Just depends on the season of the year and the time of day!
What a fun trip! I would have been in tea heaven! I love their green tea!
I love the sleepy time tea!
Looks like fun! I love the Bengal Spice tea, it’s like having a snack! I also hate coffee, so I love that you made a pumpkin spice latte using tea!
i love Nutcracker Sweet, Peppermint and sleepy time.
Bengal Spice – love the warmth of the spices.
Sleepytime
so many to pick from I’m a HUGE tea drinker. You should see it I have so many teas it takes up the whole bottom 2 shelves of my Amish Pantry 🙂 Some of my faves Green Decaf Mint, Apple Cinnamon Spice, Sweet Coconut Thai, Morning Thunder, Sweet Pumpkin Spice, All their Holiday teas, and so many more!
Honey Vanilla Chamomile
I love the Mandarin Orchard Green Tea.
Sleepy time is my favorite
Looks like you had a fun trip. Maybe I’ll get to go check it out someday. Loooove their Sleepytime and Tension Tamer teas. (P.S. I’ve been squeezing my tea bags wrong all these years. I had no idea I should steep, THEN squeeze — not the opposite. Thanks for sharing the cool things you learned!)
sleepytime, its da best!
I love sleepy time!
Peppemint and Chai
My favorite Celestial Seasoning tea is the holiday tea CANDY CANE LANE. Just love the blend of decaf green tea, peppermint and vanilla. I drink it in the evenings year around!
I love all of their teas. Sleepy time, peppermint, chai are my favorites.
I love the cinnamon apple!
Fast Lane!
I love pretty much all teas, but I think Sleepytime is my favorite. You have to love the sensation of getting drowsy over a peaceful cup of tea. 🙂 Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!
My favorite teas are the Ginger Peach Green Tea and the Cinnamon Apple Spice Tea!
I especially LOVE Red Zinger and Lemon Zinger from Celestial Seasonings…but the Honey-Vanilla Sleepytime is awesome at night! Thank you for such a fun contest/giveaway opportunity! 🙂
Honey-Vanilla Sleepytime.
I grew up with Sleepytime and I consider it my main go-to. I also love True Blueberry and Tension Tamer. I like to add local honey to give my tea a little extra sweetness. 🙂
I love the Sleepytime Extra tea!
I LOVE Celestial teas! Their Peppermint one is my very favorite! How fun that you got to visit the headquarters!
Sleepy time
cinnamon apple!
Pepper,mint and the fruity flavors.
BEAUTIFUL captures of our time there. I can’t wait to link up to this delicious tea latte for our notebook post next week- it looks divine. Most of all, so thankful for time with YOU! It absolutely made my week to get some time in together!! xo
Oh wow, they sound/look like a WONDERFUL company! And I’m cracking up at la-tea. So clever. Can I have two? 😀
The Sleepytime Tea is always delicious!!
I like Celestial Seasonings Roastaroma Tea.
I think many of us grew up drinking Celestial Seasonings, so I enjoyed your post! My mom had tins with the Sleepytime art and I remember looking at them over and over as a kid.
Also, I know you linked to the Wikipedia article, but I wanted to point out that being a supertaster is not the same as being really awesome at tasting 😉 Supertasters generally don’t like bitterness especially in things like teas – it sounds more like Charlie has a perfect palate.
Been using various Zingers as flavor enhancers for my tumbler of brewed iced tea; Lemon Zinger, Red Zinger, and Black Cherry Zinger, in that order of popularity.
I love Red Zinger both Hot or Cold. Yumm!
For ice tea it is the caffenated Black Tea.
I’ve never had their tea…
I’m normally an Earl Grey gal, but at this time of year, I’m all about Celestial Seasonings Sweet Harvest Pumpkin.
My husband and I absolutely love sleepy time extra before bed. It’s a thing in our house!
Chai tea!
Sleepy Time Extra it’s calming before bed time
I love the nutcracker sweet tea!
I love raspberry zinger iced tea everyday!
Sleepytime Vanilla and Honey Vanilla Chamomile.
Peppermint
Sleepytime!
I love the Sleepytime tea! It works like a charm.
I love the Honey Vanilla Chamomile. It was sent to me while I was overseas once and it was so comforting and delicious. 🙂
Used to be Sleepytime or Sleeptime Vanilla, but one taste of Honey Vanilla Chamomile and I was in love! I also love Candy Cane Lane and stock up whenever I find it!
Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride or Candy Cane Lane!!
Sleepytime Vanilla!
Peppermint green tea or any of the zingers! So yummy!
I love their lemon green tea and their honey vanilla tea!
Earl Grey or English Breakfast are my most freqent flavors but I enjoy chaning it up so I buy some of the mixed sets too!
My husband and I love their sleepy time before bed. So relaxing!
I love getting a box of Sleeptime K-cup packs for nights when *I* can’t settle. I add a splash of cream and a little sweetener. It’s the perfect bedtime wind-down.
Sleepy time tea is a staple at my house. I have it before bed all the time.
I love the seasonal pumpkin spice tea they make!
Man, I love tea! I’m a total teaholic.
I love all of their teas, but a favorite has been Sugar Plum Spice although I never find it at grocery stores near me. We went to Boulder a few years ago and did the tour at Celestial Seasonings – it was one of the highlights of our vacation!
My favorite teas! Thanks so much for sharing your tour, that was fun 🙂
Sleepy time!!!
Sleepytime Vanilla is my favorite flavor
All of those welcome signs! What a bunch of wonderful people. I didn’t know much about Celestial Seasonings, and now I really want to visit when we’re next in Boulder (I was born there). I’ve always loved Constant Comment (it’s sort of my namesake haha!) Lovely post!
Love the raspberry zinger but will have to give the pumpkin spice a try!
Celestial Seasonings is one of my all time favorite places to visit. As for favorites, I really love their winter, holiday flavors. My husband enjoys their lemon zinger.
I’m just becoming a tea lover, and, as someone who doesn’t drink coffee, I love all the flavours available this way! I think my favourite is chai, but they also have a vanilla tea I love, and now I need to try the pumpkin one 🙂
My favorite tea from Celestial Seasonings has got to be the peppermint tea! It’s so nice and refreshing, but at the same time relaxing before bed time 🙂
peppermint!
My favorite tea is Sleepytime. Such a lovely and gentle blend, perfect to settle in with.
I love sleeptime at night!
Sleepytime tea with valerian
We just tried the honey vanilla chamomile. We love it. Our boys (5 and 4) asked for a cup before bed. Their little sister (1) got some in her cup too. They take it with hone and lemon. Mom likes it with just lemon.
Victorian Earl Grey
I like all of the teas with spices, such as the Pumpkin Pie. In the summer, the fruity teas make the best iced tea coolers, like Raspberry Zinger.
gingerbread and sleepytime vanilla!
I love the Sleepytime tea. But now I HAVE to find the pumpkin spice tea. Making a trip to the store today to see if I can find it. Thanks for the great recipe and the giveaway, Kristen!
Love Sleepytime
My favorite is Raspberry Zinger! I am intrigued by the Pumpkin Spice tea. I love pumpkin drinks but don’t like coffee…or aything that tastes like coffee! Excited to try it. 🙂
I have only had the green tea! But I definitely want to grab more flavors next store trip!
My fav is Sweet Harvest Pumpkin all the way! I literally buy a whole bunch because I drink soooo much of it!
I’m loving the Pumpkin One also but need to try the sugar cookie one.!
Lemon Zinger is soooo Yummy hot or cold 🙂
My favorite is Red Zinger.
Sleepytime Extra is my favorite medicinal tea, but I love mixing the peppermint tea into hot chocolate! Peppermint Mocha La-tea!
My favorite is Red Zinger or Bengal Spice…can’t pick just one!
I really love their christmas ones like sugar cookie and peppermint lane, I think?
Peppermint ! 🙂
Love sleepy time tea
My fav is Lemon Zinger!
Favorite is India Spice Chai
I like Morning Thunder to start the day.
This sounds amazing! Everyone’s been posting pumpkin spice coffee latte, but as a tea drinker I’m all over this recipe. My favorite Celestial Seasonings tea is peppermint.
I grew up on Lemon Zinger, and I have Peach Passion in my cupboard right now!
Sugar cookie!
I love Bengal Spice with a little sugar & creamer…yummy!
I love sleepy time.
I love love love sleepy time, so I always have that in my apartment. But I’m trying to branch out!
I always have a box of Celestial Seasonings Peppermint tea on-hand. It is really great for when we have colds and need to open everything up and soothe the throat.
My favorite is Country Peach Passion Herbal Tea!
Serene Moments Vanilla Jasmine. Don’t get enough of these moments …so I create my own
Half and Half Cool Brew Iced Tea
Peppermint
i like their Sugar Plum Spice!
Sleepy time!
Sleepytime Throat Tamer!
I have always loved Sleepy Time.
Nutcracker Sweet
Hard to choose just one but I would have to say raspberry zinger
Ii can’t live without Bengal Spice! I have converted my whole
Family to this delightfully sweet tasting delight!
My favorite Celestial Seasonings is Sleepytime Herbal Tea.
Bengal Spice Tea is my favorite.
Red Zinger & Earl Grey are my favorites!
Tension Tamer and Vanilla Jasmine! 🙂
My favorite is definitely Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime Sinus Soother® Herbal Tea
My favorite among others is the Celestial Raspberry Zinger, I especially love this flavor in the summer with a fresh squeeze of lemon, ice cubes and wild clover honey. Mmmm.. so yummy.
I also enjoy Raspberry Zinger nice and hot in the winter with, seemed coconut cream, and brown sugar! Delicious!
Cheers!
Sleepytime!
My favorite is Sugar Plum Spice.
Trying to switch from coffee to tea. Trying all different types. Would love to try these.
Bengal Spice is my favorite!
Bengal spice is my absolute fave tea of all time!!
I love the Hibiscus tea
My favorite tea by Celestial Seasonings is Sleepytime Vanilla Herbal Tea
Celestial Seasonings Peppermint
Lemon zingger tea is my favorite,thanks
Ahhh… Peppermint
Sleepytime, always. Soothing and refreshing!
My favorite Celestial Seasonings tea is Peach Blossom Green Tea.
I love the celestial green teas, they are the best.
Chamomile
My favorite is Peppermint.
I really like their Wildberry Zinger tea.
My favorite is the Morning Thunder tea,
I love celestial seasonings green tea and would love to try their seasonal teas.
Black Cherry Berry
I would like the pumpkin spice.
I love Celestial Seasonings Decaf Sweet Coconut Thai Chai! It’s absolutely amazing!
Hi Dine & Dish,
I ♥ Sleepytime! It really works and tastes great too!
XO,
KC
I love the raspberry! It’s so light and I love that it’s sweet enough that it doesn’t need sugar or Splenda.
I drink one of their Sleepytimes everyday, be it “Extra” “Sinus Soother” or the original. 🙂 I usually splurge on a holiday blend or two….and I’m also super excited to try out their newest teas, the ones with lavender and aloe!
P.S. Their factory tours are so much fun. 🙂 I can’t believe you didn’t mention the mint room–eye-watering good!
I know! I did love the mint room – left in tears!
I LOVE the gingerbread holiday and the Nutcracker! I stalk up every winter!
Sleepy time tea
I love the fruit tea sampler, particularly the raspberry zinger!
I love them all! Really loving the Sweet Harvest Pumpkin lately.
I love the lemon zinger! It truly does give you a boost!
You can do this using your Keurig also if you have a resuable kcup. Fill the kcup with the tea, or place both tea bags in your cup if you don’t have a kcup just for loose leaf tea. Brew it using the smallest cup.
I do this all the time.
Ahhh good to know. I use the reusable cup all the time but never thought to do it with tea!
I love “tension tamer” – it relaxes me so much, specially after a long day at the restaurant!
My all time favorite Celestial tea is Roobois, sadly I haven’t found it in stores recently. Second favorite is their Green Tea with lemon:)
Oh boo 🙁 I haven’t heard of that one!
I love Celestial Seasonings Green Tea. It has natural antioxidants!
Red Ziinger.
My favorites are Sleepy Time Extra and Sleepy Time Sinus Soother.
Lemon Zinger
I like Country Peach Passion Herbal Tea the best. It’s very good.
Chamomile is my favorite
I use the Celestrial Seasoning’s Sleepytime Extra before bed — works great!
the country peach passion tea
Fave tea is definitely peppermint! During high school, I’d bring peppermint tea with a bit of honey to my theatre friends, and it was all they drank!
My favorite is the Celestial Seasonings Green Tea!
My favorite is sleepy time, I drink it everyday. My daughters love Madagascar vanilla
Your floral tea cup is so darn cute. I love celestial tea and now I need to buy some fine china to put it in. 😉 Your blog is beautiful by the way. Very nicely designed.