Most people are either coffee or tea fans, and most tea enthusiasts are probably familiar with Celestial Seasonings. Most well known for its original Sleepytime tea — complete with mascot Sleepytime Bear — Celestial Seasonings has cemented itself in the warm beverage realm.
A Boulder-based company that began in 1969, Celestial Seasonings specializes in herbal teas. The lack of actual tea leaves means most of their blends are a combination of spices, herbs and other plants.
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Tea has a rich history in each part of the world, and Celestial Seasonings noted that, “For centuries, people have steeped herbs in hot water to enjoy their unique qualities and benefits — but Celestial Seasonings first introduced expertly blended herbal teas to North America,” according to their blog.
With over 80 varieties of tea, along with seasonal offerings, there is no shortage of blends to choose from. Here is a list of a few, along with their notes and flavor profiles.
Chamomile
As one of the company’s best-selling teas, the Chamomile is light and calming with a hint of earthiness. It’s a nice nighttime vibe, which makes sense, considering it is the base of Celestial Seasonings’ bestselling Sleepytime tea. It is soothing and warm but with a mild flavor. The slight earthiness can be a bit bitter if steeped too long, but it would be great for anyone feeling under the weather.
Sleepytime Vanilla
Presenting itself as a variation on a theme, Sleepytime Vanilla does have a sweeter and more robust flavor than the classic Sleepytime. It is warm and soothing, and the vanilla does shine through and adds some depth, making it the perfect way to wind down at night.
Sleepytime Melatonin
Along with the flavored versions of Sleepytime, there are a number of wellness varieties, one of which is melatonin. The melatonin doesn’t have a very distinct flavor, so it seems like regular Sleepytime but with a little extra boost of sleepy. It could be a good option if you like the flavor of Sleepytime but are having trouble winding down.
Sleepytime Detox
Similar to the melatonin variety, the detox version is similar to the original Sleepytime. However, when compared side by side to the melatonin, the detox variant had a slightly more robust and round flavor. The aloe, green rooibos and dandelion root blended with the chamomile worked well but didn’t alter the traditional Sleepytime notes.
Wild Berry Zinger
Wild Berry Zinger was not a personal favorite; there was a distinct berry flavor, but it was rather artificial and overpowering. There was also a bitterness that was at the forefront of each sip, which made it less enjoyable. It could be good iced, potentially if used to make a berry lemonade or something of that nature, but the warmth and flavor weren’t very complimentary to each other.
Jammin’ Lemon Ginger
The lemon flavor in Jammin’ Lemon Ginger was present at the front of a sip but melted away, and the ginger was more felt than tasted. The ginger provided a warm, spicy sensation, which wasn’t very pleasant. There was some sweetness with the lemon, but the punch of ginger took away from that smooth flavor. Lemon Zinger might be a better option for those who don’t enjoy ginger.
Bengal Spice
The flavor of Bengal Spice missed the mark. It tasted very simple, like warm cinnamon water. It appears to be a chai-adjacent, as it is categorized under “chai tea” on the Celestial Seasonings website, but it did not taste like chai.
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The only spice that came through was cinnamon, aside from the presence of ginger, nutmeg, cardamom, black pepper and cloves. The cinnamon provided a nice warm spice, but it was a very flat and dull flavor, especially because it was the only noticeable taste. There is better chai elsewhere; a better alternative is Bigelow’s Vanilla Chai.
TeaWell Sleep Wellness Tea in chamomile mint
A slight outlier in the Celestial Seasonings collection: The TeaWell Sleep Wellness Tea came individually packaged with a string and tag. The company prides itself on eliminating unnecessary waste, so all other teas came loose in a box with no string and tag.
The flavor was mild; the mint was slightly fragrant but not detectable by taste. Similar to Sleepytime Melatonin, the melatonin didn’t have a distinct flavor, and although Sleepytime has different ingredients, the chamomile and spearmint lent similar flavor profiles for both teas.
This isn’t a comprehensive list of each tea Celestial Seasonings has to offer, but this selection showcased a small variety of blends and spices used to create a unique taste with each tea.
Reach Aubree Miller at life@collegian.com or on social media @aubreem07.
