Tea Review: Orange Dulce

I wouldn’t normally have any contact with those odd, restricting constructions of convenience called “tea bags,” but Mighty Leaf Tea sent us some bagged teas to sample, so I gave one a chance. Mighty Leaf Tea’s bags are a little different, in good ways. The company calls them “silken pouches” to differentiate them from those common paper things full of tea dust. The bags are biodegradable and held together with unbleached cotton string rather than glue or staples. They are also quite roomy, so the tea does not suffer as much from the constriction that tea suffers in cheap, standard bags. It’s a little disconcerting not to be able to really see what the tea looks like or fully determine the dry, pre-infused aroma, but the pouches work surprisingly well. Mighty Leaf has been commended considerably for their green packaging.

The first of the teas I sampled was “Orange Dulce,” an engaging blend of black and green teas supplemented with citrus, vanilla and jasmine.

– from Mighty Tea’s description:

Orange Dulce is a luscious, rich brew teeming with notes of bergamot, orange, vanilla and jasmine blossoms. Made with Ceylon and China black teas, Orange Dulce brews up a fragrant and full bodied dark tea. Reminiscent of an aged Port, the flavor is sure to please.

Ingredients: Black tea, green tea, natural citrus flavors, natural flavors, jasmine flowers

The citrus flavors dominate the brew, but do not overpower the taste of the actual teas. The scent of vanilla lingers above the cup, but is much less detectable in the mouth. The scent is quite sweet, but the flavor is not, which is a characteristic that I really liked. It was only after several sips of the tea that I recognized that I could taste both the black and green teas quite distinctly. A black/green blend is an unusual idea, but it creates a nice effect in this particular tea.

It does not hold up to a second infusion. I wouldn’t expect it to, but it’s always worth a try. Orange Dulce is available loose as well as in pouches.