Boulder’s Irreverent Teas brings a touch of whimsy to the world of functional teas

Something odd happens when boiling water hits the small satchel of Irreverent Teas’ Awoke green tea: The liquid turns blue.

The tea canister, decorated with a multicolored eye and bold rays, states the blend is a “mind-opening” concoction, but you’d be forgiven for not guessing that was referring to the beverage’s color. It’s surprising and playful — two things that tea generally is not.

That’s precisely what Boulder couple Darcie Shively and John Kieselhorst had in mind when they initially dreamed up Irreverent Teas, a contemporary line of six tea varieties that launched in October. Like many homebound creatives, the pair was looking for a project to tackle together during the height of the pandemic. Shively, an artist, and Kieselhorst, a graphic designer, were drinking tea more often and felt that many of the brands they encountered were too, well, Zen to align with the chaos of the times.

“There weren’t a lot of (tea) brands that really spoke to us,” Shively said. Irreverent Teas “came out of looking at the world of wellness and thinking about the fact that for all the wellness that exists out in the world right now, people are struggling … . We just want this to be fun and a different voice out in the world.”

The duo tasked an expert tea formulator with Global Tea Solutions to develop the functional, herbal blends based on their imaginings. She’s the one who thought of adding butterfly pea to Awoke to turn it blue. (Tip: Shift the color further by adding lemon. The acid will deepen the hue to purple.)

Though the selections are familiar, they all contain an unexpected twist. Part of This Nutritious breakfast tea imparts a hint of coffee via slightly bitter tulsi. Mint 2.0 trades the basic peppermint flavor for an earthier sip, courtesy of burdock root and dandelion. Nocturnal Joyride — which features the couple’s cat, Little Mouse, on its logo — does more than just facilitate sleep: It also incorporates valerian root to help consumers recall their dreams.

“In the world of wellness, sleeping is treated like it’s such a struggle,” Shively said. “Remembering your dreams can really benefit what you’re doing in your life in many ways.”

The bright, whimsical packaging was all designed by Kieselhorst. His cheeky imagery (like the aristocratic puppy gracing the Earl tea) is accompanied by equally sassy text. Notox — Shively’s favorite — is a rose petal-infused rooibos tea wrapped in a packet that encourages sippers to “just say no to needles.”