Cantaloupe Mint.

I had the pleasure of getting a package from Thao Tea Co!

So when I opened this package I thought to myself, HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO CHOSE WHICH TO DRINK FIRST?! What delicious sounding combinations and the packaging is so cute!

I decided to try the green tea first! I'm not sure if you've read other posts about how I feel about green tea but quite often I don't like it very much. I've had two green teas that I genuinely liked, was this going to be the third?!

This tea is made up of green tea, sunflower petals, chrysanthemum flowers and peppermint leaves.

As soon as I opened the package up the smell filled my kitchen, it was lovely! The first thing that came to mind was cantaloupe gum. There is a distinct minty flavor but it's also fruity so it reminds me of a fruity mint gum. The fruity fragrance is definitely unique. I notice that ripe fruit has a much different smell than other fruit. This was a rich, ripe fruity fragrance.

Now to the best part, the leaves. Look at this beautiful tea! *heart eye emoji*

Annnnnnnnd the verdict is that this tea is amazing!!! Wow, what a refreshing taste. The minty flavor pairs perfectly with the fruit. I think that tea would be even better iced. I can imagine myself on the beach, soaking up some sun with a tumblr full of cantaloupe mint iced tea! I would definitely recommend this! If you want to taste the refreshing flavor too, head over to Thao Tea Co and grab yourself some!

Probably one of my favorite parts about trying teas from different companies is learning their story.

Meet Thao!

1) What inspired you to start Thao Tea Co?

I wanted to inspire others to drink healthy tea instead of unhealthy beverages such as sugary energy drinks or sodas.

2) What is the process behind choosing flavor combinations for your unique teas?

The first question I ask myself is what flavors are not yet out there that I can create and that others would love? Once I decide on the flavor(s) then it goes through a few trials to obtain the perfect formula. We taste every single ingredient separately, then together to make sure they are a good combination. We would create multiple variations of the blends to find that perfect one.

Sometimes blends are even inspired by our travel experiences. Such as our Vietnamese Herbal. This blend is inspired by what we learned about Vietnamese herbal teas during a trip to Vietnam but it still goes through the same process to make sure we find the prefect formula.

3) Which Thao tea would you suggest to someone trying to switch from coffee to tea?

Coffee drinkers are use to the amount of caffeine and the bold taste of coffee so they tend to prefer more bold tea flavors. I would recommend the Lychee Peach, Ripe Papaya, Citrus Yerba Mate, or the Japanese Matcha. Mostly because these blends would provide the bold taste and caffeine kick compared to other blends.

4) People all over the world brew their tea in different ways with different types of tea ware. What is your method and equipment of choice ?

There are different ways and accessories to brew teas but my method of choice is always brewing tea with any glass teaware (I normally used the glass teapot on our website). Brewing tea in glass teaware tastes the cleanest to me. Glass teaware does not interfere with the flavors of brewed teas as it does sometimes in silicone, paper, ceramic, or plastic teaware.

5)What is your favorite vessel to drink tea in?

I love glass teacups because I enjoy seeing the color of the tea liquor through the glass. I even drink teas in wine glasses!

6)If you could go anywhere in the world to have a glass of tea where would it be?

That's a hard one to answer because that would be everywhere! But if I have to pick I would love to enjoy a glass of tea on a beach on an exotic island.

8) What is your favorite Thao tea and why?

Each THAO Tea is special in its own way but I would have to say the Vietnamese Herbal is my favorite. That one is my favorite because the story behind it. I am Vietnamese and last year I went to Vietnam to learn more about where I came from and to connect with my roots. That is where I discovered a Vietnamese herbal tea of which THAO Tea's Vietnamese Herbal is inspired by.

7)What is your favorite tea pun?

"Can't we all just get oolong?" There should be more love and less hate in this world. =)

If you like tea puns too, check out my shop!