My Country, 'Tis of Tea — Colorado

Colorado is a state I've never visited, but I'd sure like to. My sister's family vacationed there last year, and some of the photos they took were simply breathtaking. I also associate Colorado with blogger friend (and newly retired tea shop owner) Bernideen. What else might a tea lover need to know about Colorado?

• Colorado is the home of a tea company I'll bet all of us are familiar with, Celestial Seasonings. In fact, I'd like us all to pause a moment for a quiet prayer of thankfulness for Celestial Seasonings' creation of Candy Cane Lane green tea, without which Christmas tea sipping would be nowhere near the pleasure it is! The company had its beginning in 1969, when one of the founders, Mo Siegel, picked wild herbs in the Rocky Mountains and made the company's first tea. Today, the company says, it serves some 1.6 billion cups of tea a year. Not bad for what began as a little herb gathering in Colorado!

 • Several years ago, I began yet another obscure collection, old china that was once used in department store tearooms. I learned that some of the tearooms even held special tea parties just for children, and one of these was the Denver Dry Goods department store in Denver, Colorado, which operated from  1879-1987. I was so happy when I came across two adorable child-sized teacups from the store, because the stamp on the bottom told me these were mementos of The Dolls Tea Party in November 1927. Can you just imagine the little girls who got to enjoy using these teacups long ago?

(Photo by Jeffrey Beall and courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

• I was smitten the moment I set eyes upon the photo of this place, Miramont Castle in Manitou Springs, Colorado. Construction of the castle began in 1895, and it was originally the home of a French-born Catholic priest. Today, Miramont Castle Museum is on the National Register of Historic Places and also has a Victorian tearoom. Wouldn't you love to visit and have tea there? I say, let's go!