Orange Dulce Review

Type: Black
Origin: Mix of Ceylon and China black tea
Price: Sample (regular price - $8.95 for 15 pouches)
Vendor: Mighty Leaf
Brewing Method: 1 bag, 1 cup of filtered water, heated to 200°F-212°F, steeped for 4 minutes.
Overall Score: 4.2 out of 5

Orange Dulce is a mix of Ceylon and China black tea as a base with bergamot, orange, vanilla, and jasmine flavors. As soon as I tore open the package I could smell the bergamot and the vanilla. The sight of what was in this silk pouch was rather dark because of the black tea base. However, I noticed there were a few of what looked to be jasmine blossoms in this particular pouch. I really liked that there were whole leaves in this pouch instead of just dust.

As the tea began to steep, I could pick up on the aroma of the citrus and the sweet vanilla a bit more. The bergamot smell reminds me a lot of an Earl Grey black tea. The liquor was a beautiful deep orange, red color.

After taking a sip I was hit with a rush of different flavors. I could taste the citrus of the orange and bergamot first. Then, the sweet vanilla and jasmine were left to linger in my mouth. There was a hint of astringency, but overall the tea was very smooth and refreshing.

Because of the full bodied black tea along with the range of flavors, I felt like this tea could either be drank in the morning as a pleasant wake up call or after dinner with dessert. This would be a great tea to drink with dessert because it’s not too sweet and it, also, had a caramel-like after taste.

One thing that I did not like about this tea was the packaging. Even though I’m not a huge fan of bagged tea, I thought the pouch was big enough to allow the leaves to open properly – so that is not what I’m talking about. What I mean is that on the individual package that the tea bag comes in there was a time for how long the leaves should be steeped, but no indication of the temperature of the water that should be used. My knowledge of tea told me that black teas are normally brewed in boiling (or very close to boiling) water. However, those who are new to tea or may not have the knowledge of proper temperatures could brew this tea in a way that leaves them unsatisfied with their cuppa. It was not until I found the description of the tea on Mighty Leaf’s website when I saw that they say, only here, what temperature to brew the leaves of this particular tea. So, my only suggestion would be for them to put the proper brewing temperature on the actual packages just as they do for the brewing times.